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http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=854#respondSun, 23 Jul 2017 21:34:13 +0000http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=854WOMEN IN ISLAM INTRODUCTION Dear readers! The true religion is “The system that is communicated by Almighty Allah through His prophets to the people with reason to bring His servants to the truth and that makes them meet ... Read More »

The true religion is “The system that is communicated by Almighty Allah through His prophets to the people with reason to bring His servants to the truth and that makes them meet the happiness of the world and Akhirat [Afterlife]. The regulations stipulated by Allah”.

Our Rabb[1] sent down book and sent messengers to ensure justice, balance, security and happiness by rescuing the humanity from the swamp of cruelty and corruption.

The principles and laws which are contained in the book which was sent down are called “Hiqmat” in our Rabb’s expression in the Qur’an. Those are the foundations of the religion.

Our Rabb wants religion to be pure; not degenerated by the servants; protected and experienced as it came from Allah. We see that in Surah Az-Zumar 1-3, 11- 15, Surah Al-Mu’min 13, 14, 65, Surah Al-A‘raf 29 and Surah Al-Bayyinah 4, 5.

From our Rabb’s expression of “pure religion” in these verses, we understand that there is also a “non-pure; not belonging to Allah” religion. Such religion is the religion emptied and degenerated through the additions of so-called imams, saints, sheiks, churchmen, hodjas, rabbis, men of religion, political leaders.

The True Religion whose rules were imposed by Allah and other human religions are different in terms of legislation and enforcement from each other; they cannot combine, intersect and synthesize. They already should not do so.

The True Religion has political, economical and legal main principles determined by Allah. Naturally, human-oriented religions have principles in those issues as well. At this point, a Muslim person must live his own religion and a non-Muslim must live his own religion/order. No one must intervene with that of others. As long as there is no activity of averting people from the religion, a Muslim person must not use force against a non-Muslim person. A Muslim must accept all the principles of Islam and must not mix the principles of the artificial religions with his pure religion. Adopting a principle from the artificial religions instead of any principle in the True Religion is infidelity as our Rabb states in Surah Al-Baqara 85. Everyone is free to be a believer or infidel courageously and on condition that he would bear the result.

A religion which is not pure will not avail in the world and the Akhirat [Afterlife].

Apparently, the religion experienced by the persons claiming to be Muslims is a religion which is degenerated and emptied; is not pure. It is not related or even close to the true and pure religion which has been sent down in the Qur’an.

Today, many of the things taught and applied as the religion are the things that have become meaningless. Meaningless things are not performed by heart and sincerely. Those who seem to be doing so are either the persons who are unable to conceive or the hypocrite ones, or the ones who do it for interests, for trading.

The information of ilmihal/lifebooks and non-pure and degenerated religion in the society are experienced through prejudice. It is either because of naivety or stupidity that they are not questioned at all. Every book is acknowledged as if it is the book of Allah. It is not considered at all that there might be wrong information and deliberately placed lies in those books from which they try to learn the religious beliefs and deeds. Despite the fact that the absolute information and measures regarding the belief and deeds have been provided by Allah, the information presented in those sources are not cross verified from the Qur’an.

Despite the formation of questions in the minds about many topics, the situation is covered up. As a result, those who question, the new generation with reason, are not convinced and they distance from the religion by disliking it.

Let us conduct the crosscheck of what we believe and do as well as of the books we have through the Qur’an. Let us search for the truth about something and exclude those that do not comply with the Qur’an. Let us find the truth in order for the religion to be the Pure Religion and beneficial. Let people enter the religion of Allah in groups as in the earlier periods.

So, this article is such a study. That is to say, it is the scrutiny of the “Subject of Woman” in the light of the Qur’an, weighting the issue in the scales of the Qur’an.

The struggle is from us; Help is from Allah.

Hakkı Yılmaz

There is a truth in the applications in the societies pretending to be Muslims that cannot be denied. It is that a woman is subject to a behavior as a second-class human in terms of religion, law and economy and in the position of the toy and faithful and obedient slave of her husband. Many of such wrong applications are unfortunately attributed to the religion of Islam. Hence, it is an obligatory duty of us to present Islam’s viewpoint about women to the humanity.

It is beneficial to summarize the general situation about women first before stating the issue. General situation is as follows:

– Man is superior to woman in creation; woman has been created from the floating rib of man,

– Women is short of religion and reason,

– Majority of those who will go to Jahannah [Hell] will be among women,

– Women are the enemies of the society, particularly the men,

– Women are considered impure, ominous and trials,

– Women have to be obedient toward their husbands as slaves and they are obliged to fulfill all their desires,

– Women have to answer all the sexual invitations of their husband each time,

– Women are to be beaten by their husbands if they act against their husbands,

– Women are not educated and must be kept away from education and training,

– If it were permissible for a person to submit to another person, a woman would be ordered to submit to her husband,

– Women are imprisoned in their houses by wearing chadors/burka,

-They are not accepted as spouses in marriages and they are accepted only as sexual objects and field of children,

– Marriage is left to the order from the two lips of the husband and there is no conferral of any initiative to women in divorce. Despite this, their repudiation is when their husbands say, “divorce”,

– Women are not made governors and presidents of the state (a society who will give its fate into the hands of a woman will not maintain its status, will not build its future over peace and happiness),

– Women are not conferred a right to elect the governors,

– Application of the principle of one male equals two females in witnessing,

– A woman is prohibited to get married without the permission of her family.

The acceptances we listed above that are to be considered disgusting have unfortunately been placed among the Muslims by the books that are unrelated with the Qur’an and by some buffoons who put themselves in a position of partner of Allah.

However, Religion belongs to Allah and the source of the Religion is only the Qur’an. Even the Prophet is a person who learns and lives the religion from the Qur’an. It is not possible for a prophet to add to or remove from the religion. It was communicated many times by Allah that he would be punished if he dared such things. Hence, the Prophet lived and applied what was ordered in the Qur’an throughout his life and always spoke words complying with the Qur’an.

Despite this situation, in the books like Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad Ibn Majah, Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, Al-Hafız Az-Zahabi-Sahih al-Bukhari Muslim, Riyad us-Saliheen, Imam Sarani-Uhud al-Kubra, Imam Ghazali-Ihya Ulum ud-Din, Kimiya-e Saadat, Ibn al-Jawzi, Mevzuat, Al-Suyuti, Leali, Ibn Arrak, enzihu’s-Seria, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Musannaf, Al-Ghazali; Ihya, Bukhari, Muslim, Sunen-i Abu Davud, Muwatta and Ima, fabricated inhuman teachings and applications that were not from the Qur’an, were even contradictory with the Qur’an, were presented after two hundred years following the death of our Prophet as if they were said by the prophet.

These fabrications have two reasons in our opinion:

First, that males form a group of slaves for themselves;

Second is to make women disgust the religion and stay away from it through such disgusting understandings. Hence, such acceptances have always been the material of criticisms by the people of the reason.

For us to know the women in Islam, it would be sufficient to take the Ayat relating to women in the Qur’an into account.

Woman in Creation:

When the ayat regarding creation in the Qur’an are scrutinized, it will be seen that women and men, all humans, were created through the same creation, and that they have no difference from each other.

Surah An-Nisa 1:

1O mankind! Enter under the guardianship of your Rabb Who formed you from a single self, then formed its mate from it and dispersed many men and women from both of them. And enter under the guardianship of Allah through Whom you ask one another and of the blood relation. Indeed, Allah is the One Who watches over you.

Surah Al-A‘raf 189:

189He[2] is the One who formed you from a single self and then made its mate to accompany it. When he covered and enshrouded her, then she carried a light burden. And she continued with this. When the wife got heavier, then they both invoked their Rabb: “If you give us a healthy child, indeed we will be among those who repay”

Surah Ar-Rum 20, 21:

20And among His evidences/signs is that He formed you from dust. And then, now you are human beings dispersing.

21And again, among His evidences/signs is that He formed for you spouses from yourselves so you may bond with them and placed between you a love and mercy. No doubt that there are many evidences/signs in this for a people who will contemplate.

Surah Az-Zumar 6:

6He formed you from a single self, then made its mate from it and sent down eight mates of livestock. He forms you in the womb of your mothers in three darkness, formation after formation. This is Allah, your Rabb only to Whom belongs the possession and the dominion. There is no deity except Him. Then how are you averted?

While this is the truth, there is a belief that is attributed to the religion through various hearsays, which is the belief that woman was created from the floating rib of man. After this belief makes that it is accepted that the women were created in a way inferior to men; it also causes the presence of the nonsense beliefs like she is short in reason and religion. In fact, this belief is not Islamic; it was transferred from the corrupted Torah, the Holy Scripture; that is to say, from the Jewish beliefs.

“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man”.

(Holy Scripture, Genesis; Book II, 21-23.)

Women in a family

Surah Al-Baqara 187:

…. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them…

Surah At-Tawbah 71:

The believing men and the believing women; some of them are familiars who are protectors, guides of some others…

What is clearly expressed in the verses is that that a woman and a man are bound to each other, their inseparable nature from each other, the spouses wrap each other in the physical, spiritual and social issues and that they are guides, helpers, protectors and close friends of each other.

Women in terms of Law, Worship/ Servitude

Women and men whose creation is the same are all equal in law and responsibilities completely. They have no difference from each other.

Surah Al-Ahzab 35:

35No doubt that the men who have entered the religion of Islam and the women who have entered the religion of Islam, the believing men and the believing women, the respectful men and the respectful women, the truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the men who give sadaqa/public revenue and the women who give sadaqa/public revenue, the men who fast and the women who fast, the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men who remember Allah frequently and the women who remember Allah frequently; Allah has prepared for them a forgiveness and a great reward.

Surah An-Nisa 124:

124And whoever from among men or women does amendatory deeds while being believer, they will enter Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]. And they will not be treated unjustly, not even as much as the speck of a date seed.

Surah Ali Imran 195:

195And, their Rabb responded them: “Surely, I never let the deed of any worker among you get lost, whether male or female –that you all are same-. Therefore, those who emigrated, were driven out from their homes, were harmed in My cause, who fought and are killed; I will definitely remove their evil deeds from them and admit them into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow, as a reward from Allah. And Allah is the One Who has the good of the reward with Him”.

Surah An-Nahl 97:

97And whoever does good deeds, whether female or male, We will make her/him live a good life. And We surely will give them their reward with much better than what they do.

Surah At-Tawbah 72:

72Allah has promised to the believing men and the believing women the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow as the ones who will abide therein eternally and pleasant dwellings in the gardens of Eden. But approval of Allah is greater. This is what is the great salvation.

Although a substantial part of the Qur’an addresses to the generality, there are ayat where Allah points out women and men separately.

Surah An-Nisa 32:

32And do not wish for that which Allah has given more to some of you. There is a share for men from what they have been made to earn. There is a share for women from what they have been made to earn as well. And ask Allah of His bounty. Surely, Allah is the One Who knows all best.

As seen in the ayat, Allah has not created women as someone short in religion or reason but given them obligations in servitude/worship equal to men. Hence, the argument that women are less clever than men does not comply with science either. Such allegations must have been put forward to exclude and disgrace Islam scientifically.

The Qur’an eliminated such negative applications and beliefs that were out of reason, mercy, conscience and religion. When it made women possess the same rights as those of men and gave value to them, the people of Medina of that period asked the condition of the menstruating women; their relations and all kinds of applications concerning women to our Prophet. It was Allah Who answered what they asked to the Prophet:

Surah Al-Baqara 222:

222And they ask you about menstruation of women as well. Say: “It is a harm. So, keep away from women during menstruation and do not have sexual intercourse with them until period is over. When the period has ended, approach them through reproductive organ. Indeed, Allah likes those who repent and purify themselves.

In this answer, except for sexual intercourse, there is no prohibition for a woman during menstruation.

While this is the reality, in the ilmihal and Fiqh/life information and religious laws books, regarding menstruating/bleeding women, some prohibitions which are similar or close to the pre-Islamic time, have been imposed. Such as they cannot serve the prayer, fast, read the Qur’an, enter the mosque and they are haram/forbidden.

These are all fabricated judgments to distance women from the Qur’an, education and training, to leave them ignorant, to belittle them, to break their resistance of the society by excluding them and finally to exploit them. All of these were based on rootless and baseless narratives and they do not have any Islamic and reasonable value.

Menstruating women should fulfill their servitude as in the normal times. They must read the Qur’an and learn their religion regardless of whether with/without ritual ablution, menstruating. As an adult, a woman who spends one third of her life menstruating until the period of menopause must not put a distance between her and Allah and not spend one third of her life in vain. The issue of fasting is different; as the period of menstruation is considered an illness medically, as required by the judgment of the ayat 183, 184 and 185 of Surah Al-Baqara, a woman will see a physician regarding her bleeding days and then will fast or not according to the result she will obtain from the physician. If she cannot, she will fast after that period. This regulation was imposed by Allah.

We see in the historical documents that our Prophet did not say, ‘Let menstruating women not to serve the prayer.’ He said, “Let menstruating women participate to the assemblies of benevolence; that is to say, in the meetings of schools, associations, etc; let them not come to the places where the social activities are carried out”.

If the contradictions between the expressions in the narrative books are eliminated and they are all taken through verification with the Qur’an, the situation becomes as clear as sunshine. Imam Bukhari and other hadith scholars have evaluated and classified the narratives they have gathered within the scope of their own measures. They did not perform the verification of the expressions through the Qur’an. That is to say, they did not criticize if they were correct or wrong. Hence, narratives in their books conflict with each other. It will be our duty to evaluate them.

Why then, presence of the menstruating women in the society considered unsuitable? In order for us to understand it, we must go to that age, that ambiance. In the society of that day, the culture of cleaning had not developed yet, there was no comfort in those years as in today. That is to say, menstruating women did not use modern sanitary napkins, sterilized cottons and clothes for they did not exist. There were not washing machines, various detergents, odorous bleachers and softeners. They did not even have plenty of water. At that age, every woman in Arabia had a MENSTRUATION DRESS. Sometimes, a family had only one menstruation dress and mother-daughter-bride used the same dress in turn. It was a quite ordinary thing. They kept wearing it in their periods. That outfit was washed but it remained stained as you can acknowledge. Everyone could know that a woman with menstruation dress was menstruating. This could cause the derision of the women in the society or their embarrassment. As it is known, our Prophet recommended people to come out in the society with clean and white clothes while being perfumed. If you consider that women can use her right of speaking on Jumu’ah/the day of gathering and in bairams/festivals, a woman with stained outfit could be undervalued.

In addition, our Prophet wanted the people who consumed ONION-GARLIC not to come into the society; that is to say, he wanted them not to be in the society. The reason for it is not to give inconvenience to the surrounding people with bad smells. No one inferred a judgment that ‘the prayer is prohibited to those who eat garlic and onion’ by using such application.

We will see if we ponder on the narratives well that THE CONDITION OF MENSTRUATION may PREVENT from coming out into the society, BUT it DOES NOT PREVENT from acting as a servant. In addition, as the feature of menstruation determined by Allah as a FATE is involuntary, it can never ever be considered a blame, flaw and incompleteness. It is also known scientifically that such condition is a plus granted to women, compared to men.

The narratives and news that exclude women from the society and that consider them second-class humans and Muslims with incomplete religions must not be taken into account. It must be known that they are lies and slanders.

People must not believe such nonsense which takes place in the books circulating out there under the name of various religious books and it must be known that they are slanders to the Prophet.

General View of Islam on Women:

Two ayat would be sufficient to explain the viewpoint of Islam towards women.

Surah Al-Baqara 223:

223Your women are field/a culture for you. Then, approach your field/culture however you will. And send forth for yourselves before and enter under the guardianship of Allah. And know that you will definitely meet Him. –and give good tidings to the believers!-

1- Women are crops; field/culture:

In the ayah, the expression that “Your women are field/culture for you” is an expression that must be taken into account. The word of حرث – hars means both a “field; crop” and “culture“. As it is known, culture means “All the material and immaterial values which were created in the historical and social development process and the complete set of tools that are used in creating them and in transferring them to the subsequent generations and that show the measure of the domination of human of its natural and social environment.”. We can refer this to as a “biological and sociological culture” because a woman is like a biological field. Just like rendering an organism suitable for the target by means of taking it through various stages in a bi-chemistry laboratory, first embryo, then a piece of flesh, then bones, and then their coverage with flesh; and finally an infant forms within a woman. Subsequent to the delivery of the baby, the woman’s function of being a sociological culture/field takes place and she teaches the immaterial values of the society [religious beliefs and principles, behaviors and manners of thinking, entities of thought and art] to her children slowly and transfer them to the forthcoming generations. In sum, a woman is a mother physically and sociologically.

Legend of Mt. Anamas

Once upon a time, the son of a poor family living in the region started to steal eggs and hens under the effect of his mother’s wrong suggestions when he was a child. He became a dreadful bandit by growing his business and started to perform all kinds of filthy businesses like extorting and hijacking. He was finally caught by law. The imprecations of the persons that he has killed and the innocent people he has hijacked have brought him to gallows. Before his execution, the public executioner asked him his final wish. He started imploring by saying:

This legend explains that the individuals of a society are structured and shaped by mothers. The more the mothers are knowledgeable, conscious and intellectual, the more knowledgeable, conscious and intellectual the members of the respective society will be.

Now, the true reason why the girls are not educated particularly and why women are treated as second-class humans is probably understood better.

2- Women Must be Protected like a Pearl and a Diamond, Their Risky Matters Should be Taken Care of and They Should be behaved Gently.

Surah An-Nisa 34:

34Because Allah has given more to some of you than others and men provide compensation from their wealth, men take care of risky matters of women; they are gentlemen to women. Therefore, righteous women are to obey Allah; are the ones who follow the rules that Allah has set forth, they are guarding against the calamities that have not yet happened to them but may happen because of that which Allah protects. Advice the women to whom you fear of risk of harassment and rape because of their stubbornness and make them travel where they live in peace; within the borders of your lands and impose upon them psychological pressure, warnings. Should they treat you with respect, do not seek other ways against them. Allah is the most sublime, the grand.

In this ayah, the ways of happiness, peace and living peacefully in a society are shown. If we itemize them:

Men must protect the women in the best way and take care of their risky matters.

Even though they are rich, subsistence of women is upon men.

Righteous women should comply with such principle of Allah (because this principle was enacted for the protection of women.)

The women from whose nushuz [her risking herself for harassment, rape, being beaten, being cursed, and being sad, by acting stubbornly] is feared, will be advised; caused to be immigrated within the boundaries of their lands and inflicted psychological pressure, warnings. This way, they will be made to give up nushuz.

The word of “kavvam” mentioned in the ayah is a word that means “Diligently dealing with something; taking care of it well; protecting it with all endeavors“.

In this ayah, men of the society were assigned as “kavvam” on the women [mother, sister, daughter, spouse, bride, aunt, neighbor woman etc.] of the society, not on their own wife. This means that all the needs of women to continue their lives must be fulfilled by men. As they are stronger, more courageous and more resistant, men must be the protectors of women, they must take care of their risky matters and women must not be obliged to earn subsistence on the mountains, mines, forests and the areas far from the town centers and they must not be put to work in the risky sections of the duties such as army duty. Subsistence of the wife is upon the husband and that of the daughter is upon the father, in the absence whom, this duty is for the brothers. If there is no one as a male, the public would undertake the duty. A woman would be married to a husband or the state. Women will be served by males or by the state.

As it is seen, it is not from the religion but from traditions to put women to work in the countryside, orchards and out in the mountains while the men are sitting at teahouses.

As the justification of the situation, the fact that Because Allah has given more to some of you than otherswas shown.

This section of the ayah is –generally– explained as “Allah rendered men superior to women” which is absolutely wrong. The difference mentioned here is not superiority between a woman and a man but the characteristics of males and females. For example, the strength, courage, calmness and steadiness are superior to those of women; no one will assert otherwise. On the other hand, that is to say, in view of the traits like modesty, mercy, compassion and educating, women are superior to men; no one will assert otherwise as well. Therefore, the superiority in the ayah is in terms of such features, not the superiority of genders from each other. The only measure of superiority of humans from each other is taqwa (entering under the guardianship of Allah).

In the continuation of the ayah, it is said that Therefore, righteous women are to obey Allah; are the ones who follow the rules that Allah has set forth, they are guarding against the calamities that have not yet happened to them but may happen because of that which Allah protects to inform that women should accept this regulation because Allah has protected their honors, chastity and virtue; He secured women by commanding to give them mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] and by encumbering their living on men. Righteous women protect themselves by taking precautions against the possible calamities that they might incur, such as harassment, rape, beating, bad language and becoming sad etc. and happily accept being protected in this regard, submit to such rule imposed by Allah, and they do not attempt to carry out difficult and risky works under the effect of arrogance and complexness and by racing with the men.

In the periods in which the Qur’an was sent down, there were no occupations performed within the society such as being a teacher, physician, nurse, bank office, factory worker, etc. In the nomadic and agricultural societies of those times, men had the works like hunting, collecting and safeguarding (soldier, guard) and women took care of the household and education. It was definitely among the risky businesses that the attempts of women doing the jobs of the men at that time.

In the final section of the ayah, it is said: Advice the women to whom you fear of risk of harassment and rape because of their stubbornness and make them travel where they live in peace; within the borders of your lands and impose upon them psychological pressure, warnings. Should they treat you with respect, do not seek other ways against them. Allah is the most sublime, the grand to provide the precautions to be applied regarding the women who fail to comply with this regulation.

In many books [interpretations, life knowledge], it is asserted that the women in question here are own wife of the men. However, the addressee is not the husbands but all the people [society]. Hence, the women from whose nushuz [her risking herself for harassment, rape, being beaten, being cursed, and being sad, by acting stubbornly] is feared, is any woman in the society, who can be a wife, mother, sister or widowed and a lonely woman.

NUSHUZ:

The word of النشوز – nushuz is one of the derivatives of the root of نشز – nesz. The meaning of the word as a root is “a high place of the earth“. The upper parts of a valley for a person situated in it are called النشز – nesz. نشوز – nusuz as an infinitive means “Ascension; taking an upper position and become steep” (Lisan-al Arab v. 8, p. 557)

Insurance for Women: MEHIR

MEHIR:

“Goods or money paid to woman by the husband during marriage” -which has been widely known as “mehir [life insurance, honor wealth]”-, for which in some ayat, the word of أجر – ecr = fee; return of something is used. It can be understood as “the return of the things sacrificed by a woman from her honor”.

In fact, the tradition that husband-to-be should give money and goods to the woman/family of the woman has been known in various cultures, religions and such application goes back to very early periods. It was named as “bride wealth, mohar, drahoma, dowry” in various cultures. The example of it in the Qur’an is the marriage of the Prophet Moses in Midian, which is mentioned in Surah Al-Qasas 27, 28.

What attracts attention in the application of this tradition until Islam is that the payments were always made to the family of the woman. Infact, in the pre-Islamic Arabic applications, mehir was given to the family of the woman, not the woman herself. However, In Islam, mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] is given to the woman herself; the money or commodity given belongs to the woman.

MEHIR IN THE QUR’AN:

In the Qur’an, mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] takes place in Surah Al-Baqara 236–237, Surah An-Nisa 4, 23–25, Surah Al-Ma’idah 5 and Surah Al-‘Ahzab 50. As can be understood clearly from these ayat, the mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] mentioned in the Qur’an is not similar with the “bride wealth, mahor, drahoma” in other religions and cultures.

In order to understand the issue of mehir well, it is necessary to know the viewpoint of Islam on women well:

While women are weaker physically and in terms of courage than men and they are defenseless in terms of sexual organ regarding harassment and rape (Surah An-Nisa 34), they are not different from men when it comes to self because self has no gender. The good and bad sides of the self of everyone appear as a result of the beliefs and deeds which are formed through the free will of the individuals. On the other hand, women are stronger than men in the sentimental matters like compassion, mercy, education and teaching.

A woman is a field, a culture (Surah al-Baqara 223). Maintaining of the material and immaterial existence of the societies depends on women.

Subsistence of the women has been charged on men. This way, the risk that women can be subject to abuse, harassment and rape as a result of their struggle to provide their subsistence in the countryside and their travels alone was eliminated. (Surah An-Nisa 34)

In the event that a woman becomes widow, her remarriage right away was not allowed and the rule of “iddah/waiting time” was enacted. (Surah Al-Baqara 228, Surah al-Ahzab 49, and Surah At-Talaq 4)

In consideration of all these issues, the nature of mehir in Islam will be understood better. According to the Qur’an, mehir is an “insurance of subsistence” of woman. This regulation is not because of the weakness of women but the necessity of their protection – in view of social and cultural importance of the women. – Giving ofmoney or good to her in advance; prior to marriage with which she would be able to continue her life during the period of “iddah/waiting time” if she becomes widowed, will not necessitate her to struggle her subsistence and subject to inconveniences because of going away from her home. This way, woman will be away from the risk of harassment and rape. In sum, Allah ordered to give women the mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] to honor, protect them and prevent unjust treatment to them.

In the Qur’an, the amount of mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] has not been determined and the decision of determining it was left to the societies themselves – as it should comply with its core/essence – according to the conditions of the age.

As the objective of mehir is the guardianship of women, the ideal application appears to be the necessity of raising women in the manner that they will not be dependent on their husbands economically and that they will have self-confidence socially. Hence, Allah commanded to the husbands: And give the women of orphans their mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] graciously. And if they willingly give/offer you a portion of what they will get, consume it without hesitation (Surah An-Nisa 4) and After you have given your obligation, there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree. Surely, Allah is the One Who knows best and the One Who makes laws, rules and principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos. (Surah An-Nisa 24) and only the women who are not in need of mehir were allowed to give the mehir back to their husbands.

Woman in Social Aspect:

As the society consists of two genders as women and men and as they have the same traits except for their reproductive systems, women must take their place in life, which goes on at home, in the market, in the workplace, at the school etc. without losing their identity. They must be the women of science and business in addition to being housewives. The women who are ignorant, uncultured, reserved, unaware of the world, not productive other than giving birth and passive do not have place in the religion of Islam.

Every woman honored with Islam at the time of the prophet lived within the society with the belief and good manners of Islam, showed herself in all kinds of political and social events, and undertook determinative role in all the developments. They participated in the society and they did not distance themselves from the masjid [school]; musalla, social activities. When necessary, they criticized the mistaken behavior of the president of the state courageously and ensured that he could correct it. Our Prophet and the caliphs after him did not prevent them; on the contrary, they encouraged them. In addition, they consulted with them in every issue and their votes were asked. These are known in history and are also available in the Qur’an.

Today, women do not attend the congregation, except for the terawih prayers of those who pretend to be Muslims. The prayers of Jumu’ah, bairams/festivals and funerals are performed without the attendance of women. In the nongovernmental organizations like societies, parties and foundations, women of those who pretend to be religious never take place. Politically, they cast the same vote as their fathers or husbands. They never even have a right of their own vote. As a result, the place of women in the society today is even lower and worse than the pre-Islamic periods.

Being in Somewhere Separately

So, what happened and then, naturalness and harmony in the society have lost? How, why and by whom were women who are the half of the living population moved off the society? How did a model of religion and society without women appear? Why were women squeezed between the bedroom and the kitchen?

Before answering the above questions, let us understand this ayah well.

Surah Al-Hadid 27:

27Then We kept sending Our messengers after them. And We sent Jesus, son of Mary, after them; We gave him the Bible and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. And as for the monasticism (principle of “living the life by abandoning wealth, spouse and children”) that they invented; it was not We Who prescribed it for them. They made it only to seek the approval of Allah. But then, they did not comply with it as they should. Then We recompensed those among them who believed. But most of them were the ones who went astray from the righteous path.

We see in the ayah that the Christians invented Monasticism considering that they would have a life more religiously and obtain the approval of Allah. Nevertheless, they muddled it. Allah warns the Muslims; He says do not be like them. This is the reason for this ayah to be in the Qur’an. However, unfortunately, those who pretend to be Muslims are not different from the reprimanded Christians. When they considered women as trial, trouble, ominous, devilish, impure, unintelligent, short in religion and as material of lust, sex object etc., a thick wall has been built between women and the world by thinking that they would be more religious and would obtain the approval of Allah without living with such negative traits. In this matter, people did not comply with the measures imposed by Allah; applied and shown to us by His messenger. As a result, lots of contradictions and distortions appeared. In sum, the people who pretend to be Muslims have muddled this like the Christians.

While women and girls are not shown to the relatives and kinsmen who visit homes; that is to say, being separate are applied; they do not see any problem in their talking, doing business, and visiting places with the unknown men at the marketplace or shops, or even their stacking like fish in mass transport means, as the groups of covered nudes.

There is no problem for women and men to meet and talk in the same place before the eyes of others, with their honorable stance, and without acting against the rules of decency and morality.

A woman MUST CERTAINLY TAKE HER PLACE IN THE SOCIETY. Women must now awaken; they must know themselves: they must take their place in the society with their brains, not with their hair, eyes, breasts and make-up and they must save themselves from being showcases and images. They must work without risking themselves in every job that is not against to their nature, they must study at every school and they must take part in all kinds of social, political, cultural, economical and educational activities. In sum, they must deserve the crowning of Allah of them by stating “Women are the Culture”.

Women in Inheritance

The situation of women regarding inheritance in Islam is one of the issues that has been discussed and criticized continuously. This condition is caused by the failure of understanding the ayat regarding the issue by the Muslims and the critics. According to the description in the ilmihal and Fiqh/life knowledge and religious law books, woman-man inheritance aside, the law of inheritance in Islam appears to be problematic between men and between sisters as well.

Supreme Allah says as follows:

Surah An-Nisa 11:

11Allah instructs you liability as a share from Allah concerning your children: For the male is the share of two females. If they are more than two in number, all of them being females, then two thirds of that which has been left. If it is only one woman, then for her is half. If the deceased leave children along with parents, for each parent is a sixth; if the deceased had no children but his parents inherits his wealth, then for his mother is one third. If the deceased had siblings, then for mother is one sixth. These shares are after the bequest he made and debts. Your parents and your children; you cannot know which of them are closer to you in benefit. Indeed, Allah is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker.

In the Qur’an, after explaining the principles of inheritance, warnings like “Surely Allah is the best witness of all. Your parents and your children; you cannot know which of them are closer to you in benefit. Indeed, Allah is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker. Allah makes clear so you may not go astray and Allah is the One Who knows all best. These are liabilities imposed by Allah. And Allah is the One Who knows best and forbears much” were made and the last passage was finished with the threat of “These are the limits of Allah. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, Allah will admit him into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] underneath of which rivers flow as the one who will abide therein eternally. This is indeed the great salvation. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits, Allah will admit him into Jahannah [Hell] to abide therein eternally. And a humiliating punishment will be for him”.

In the past, inheritance was based on lineage and agreement and according to the historical records, it was practiced among the Arabs based on lineage and agreement as well.

Allah commanded to take the bequest into account before inheritance, as there might be injustice in the distribution of inheritance:

Surah Al-Baqara 180-182:

180When death is upon one of you, if he leaves a wealth, it has been made a liability to make a bequest, as a right for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah, for his parents and closest relatives, in a way which is acceptable for all.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 106-108:

106O you who have believed! When death is ready for one among you, testimony at the time of bequest is two just people from among you. Or two people who are not from among your people if you are traveling across the earth and disaster of death should strike you. If you doubt, let them wait after Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Then let them swear by Allah: “We will not sell our oaths for a price even if he should be a relative, we will not hide the testimony of Allah. Otherwise, we will be among the sinners”.

107Then, if it becomes clear that those two witnesses have committed a sin, another two people among those who are the owners of the right, who are closer to the deceased, will replace them and swear by Allah: “Our testimony is truer than the testimony of those two and we have not violated anyone’s rights. Otherwise, we would be among those who do wrong; act against their own good”.

108Such an oath is the most appropriate/best way for them to testify properly or to fear that oaths will not be accepted after their oaths. Enter under the guardianship of Allah and heed. And Allah does not guide a people who have gone astray from the righteous path.

Surah Al-Baqara 240:

240And those who will die leaving behind wives will give an amount from their wealth as bequest that is sufficient for them to live off for one year without being driven out from their homes. But if they leave, then there will be no blame upon you for what they have done in a way that is acceptable for all. And Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

Allah has put forth such principles according to the equity and justice measures in the Arab family life. It is because, male children had contribution in the acquisition of the wealth left by the father. Hence, it is normal that a male child receives more than a female child. However, when the family spends its wealth and savings for the education and occupation of its male child; in the distribution of the little amount of the remaining properties, should the male child who has been educated and made a doctor or engineer, who has a high-level income get 2 shares while the female child who has worked at the orchards and gardens of the family as a laborer get 1 share? As it is seen, in some cases, the judgment of 2 to 1 does not make the justice and equity. For the purpose of justice, additional regulations are required and thus, Allah has enacted the principle of bequest.

Within the framework of these measures, a daughter can be granted two or more and a son one or less or the son educated by spending the goods of the family is not given any share and the entire heritage can be given to the daughter. All these are realized through bequest. If the father did not leave the bequest, then the public authorities intervene and ensure equity and justice. That is to say, for the inheritance, the authorities do not provide a determination of heirs on the paper, they scrutinize the acquisition of the heritage and the reduction of the previous wealth to ensure equity and justice as well as the status of the inheritors and grant the deed of inheritance accordingly.

In the ayat above, it was said that These shares are after the bequest he [the deceased] made and debts, and it was required that first, the bequest would be fulfilled and then the debts would be paid. In Surah al-Baqara 180, it was said When death is upon one of you, if he leaves a wealth, it has been made a liability to make a bequest, as a right for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah, for his parents and closest relatives, in a way which is acceptable for all to stipulate that the injustices that might rise from inheritance distribution would be compensated with bequests and in the other ayah, stipulation was that a judge is to distribute the heritage to ensure equity and justice:

Surah Al-Baqara 181-182:

181And whoever changes it after having heard this, the sin is only upon those who have changed it. Indeed, Allah is the One Who hears best, knows best.

182And whoever fears that the bequeather may make a mistake or commit a sin and corrects that which is between them, there will be no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is very forgiving, very merciful.

As understood from the ayat, the use of “bequest” is needed for ensuring equity and justice in inheritance. Unfortunately, the expression of “There is no bequest for the inheritor” was added to the Last Khutbah/Last Speech with the intention to abolish bequest as if it was said by the Prophet.

In addition, in the ayah 7 of the Surah An-Nisa, it is said that “There is a share for male orphans in that which their parents and relatives leave. And there is a share as an obligatory share for female orphans, little or much, in that which their parents and relatives leave” to enact that the orphan children are to be distributed the inheritance without discriminating about whether they are males or females.

When it comes to those earned by labor and effort; everyone, whether female or male, would receive his/her right and share.

Surah An-Nisa 32:

32And do not wish for that which Allah has given more to some of you. There is a share for men from what they have been made to earn. There is a share for women from what they have been made to earn as well. And ask Allah of His bounty. Surely, Allah is the One Who knows all best.

Witnessing of Women:

The issue of witnessing of women is an issue that receives numerous criticisms. It is because of the belief of that witnessing of two women equal the witnessing of one man. And Surah Al-Baqara 282 is presented as an evidence to it. However, if this ayah that stipulates the principles of writing the debt-credit relation by a fair clerk (notary) is understood well, the issue would no longer be discussed and no one would be entitled to criticize Islam.

The issue of witnessing is a matter handled by Islam sensitively. First, let us take a look at a few ayat that exhibit the severity of the subject.

Surah Al-Baqara 140:

…Say: “Do you know more or Allah does? Who else can treat himself more unjustly than the one who conceals a testimony with him that has come from Allah?…

Surah An-Nisa 135:

135O you who have believed! Be those who maintain/seek justice and equity as the ones who testify for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents and relatives. Whether rich or poor, know that Allah is closer to both. Do not follow your vain, transitory desire in order to be able to establish justice. If you distort or turn away, know that Allah is definitely aware of what you do.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 8:

8O you who have believed! Be witnesses who maintain justice and equity for Allah. And do not let your hatred for a people drag you to commit injustice. Be just because being just is closer to enter under the guardianship of Allah. Enter under the guardianship of Allah. Indeed, Allah is aware of what you do.

Upon reading the ayah, there will be no need for an explanation; the extent of the severity and sensitivity of witnessing is understood. If one pays attention to these ayat, it will be seen that no discrimination is made between women and men; all the people, Muslims are addressed. There is no distinction of males or females.

Let us handle the loan business – mudayana- ayah now.

Surah Al-Baqara 282, 283:

282O you who have believed! When you are indebted for a specified term, write it right away. And let a scribe write between you in justice. And let not that scribe refuse to write as Allah has taught him. And let the one upon whom the obligation is dictate and have it to be written and enter under the guardianship of Allah Who is his Rabb and not leave anything out from it. If the one against whom the obligation is [debtor], is limited of understanding or weak or unable to dictate and have it to be written by himself, then let one of his guardians dictate and have it to be written in justice. And have two good witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men witnesses, then a man and two women; it is because, in the case one of them forgets, errs, the other may remind. – Let the witnesses be among those good witnesses whom you agree.– And let not the witnesses refuse when they are called upon. And, whether it is small or large [debt], do not be weary to write it until its specified term. This is more just in the sight of Allah and is stronger for testimony and more appropriate for not having any doubts. Except for a trade that you finalize right away; there is no blame upon you if you do not write it. Take witnesses when you make a commercial contract. Do not let any scribe and witness be harmed. If you do [harm them], then it will definitely be a sin that will touch you. Enter under the guardianship of Allah. Allah teaches you and Allah is the One Who knows all best.

283And if you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a pledge should be taken! And if you entrust each other, let the one who is entrusted release His trust. And let him enter under the guardianship of Allah. And do not hide testimony. Whoever hides the testimony, his heart is a sinner indeed. And Allah is the One Who knows very well what you do.

In these ayat, method of loan-based trading is specified. Enactment of these principles in an ambiance where all kinds of businesses are based on words is to eliminate the disputes and seizures of rights among people. We can list the principles in the ayah that is express as follows:

In the debt cases with term/time, the debt must be written even it is big or small scale.

The one who writes it must be a third person different from the parties and he/she must write it fairly.

The debtor must have written the truth and must not hide anything at all.

If the debtor is a person who is illiterate [child, demented senile],weak, inarticulate person, his/her protector, supervisor must have it written in justice.

For this process, two qualified males, or, if there are no two males, one male and two females must witness.

When the witnesses are invited, they must not avoid being witnesses.

The debt must be itemized/written until the final due date, whether it is small or big scale debt; one must not act lazily. This is more truthful before Allah; it is stronger when it comes to witnessing and more appropriate for not having doubt.

It is not necessary to write down and apply for witnesses for business in cash.

Trades must be witnessed as well.

The ones who write and witness must not be harmed. Harming them is a significant crime.

In a trip, if no clerk is found, a pledge can be taken.

A person who is entrusted must pay what is entrusted to him/her.

Witnessing must not be hidden. If the issue is referred to a court, witnesses must tell what they know in their witnessing.

We think that clarification would be beneficial in some points in these ayat.

According to the expression of And let the one upon whom the obligation is dictate and have it to be written and enter under the guardianship of Allah Who is his Rabb and not leave anything out from it in the ayah, the duty of having it recorded/written is under the responsibility of the debtor. He/she himself/herself will declare the truth to specify what is on him/her is without hiding anything because witnessing takes place when he/she declares the truth.

Regarding the clerk who writes down the debenture, being just is conditioned by giving the order of And let a scribe write between you in justice.

In the ayah, about the issue of witness, the expression of “ من رجالكم from your men” was used. As the believers are addressed in the beginning of the ayah, the witnesses here must be from among the believers. This loan protocol is obligatory for the believers; they are not obligatory for the non-Muslims in the Islamic society.

In the ayah, another point that attracts attention is that, instead of the word of “شاهد Shahid” [witness], the word of “شهيد shehiyd” was used. This means that the witnesses regarding the issue must not be ordinary witnesses but they must have advanced qualities.

As understood from the expressions of “And have two good witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men witnesses, then a man and two women; it is because, in the case one of them forgets, errs, the other may remind. – Let the witnesses be among those good witnesses whom you agree.–” in the ayah, the witnesses in the loan protocols must first be two males. In the absence of two males, one male and two females must witness.

The issue of witnessing is a matter handled by Islam sensitively. Let us take a look at a few ayat that exhibit the severity of the issue.

Surah Al-Baqara 140:

…Say: “Do you know more or Allah does? Who else can treat himself more unjustly than the one who conceals a testimony with him that has come from Allah?…

Surah An-Nisa 135:

135O you who have believed! Be those who maintain/seek justice and equity as the ones who testify for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents and relatives. Whether rich or poor, know that Allah is closer to both. Do not follow your vain, transitory desire in order to be able to establish justice. If you distort or turn away, know that Allah is definitely aware of what you do.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 8:

8O you who have believed! Be witnesses who maintain justice and equity for Allah. And do not let your hatred for a people drag you to commit injustice. Be just because being just is closer to enter under the guardianship of Allah. Enter under the guardianship of Allah. Indeed, Allah is aware of what you do.

Upon reading the ayah, there will be no need for an explanation; the extent of the severity and sensitivity of witnessing is understood. If one pays attention to these ayat, it will be seen that no discrimination is made between women and men; all the people, Muslims are addressed. There is no distinction of males or females.

We feel the obligation of analyzing some technical points in the ayah. These are the issues of the structures of the verbs of “تضلّ tedillu” and “تذكر tuzekkiru” which are the connection centers of the expressions of “ ممّن ترضون mimmen terzavne….” and “ ان تضلّ en tedille…”, and full stop on “ رجل وامراتان raculun vemreatani” in the ayah. We are analyzing them one by one:

In the classical acceptance,

– A full stop was not put on “… امراتان emretani” and the “ممن ترضون mimmen terzavne….” section of the ayah was made an “adjective” for the expression of “رجل وامراتان raculun vemreatani”. This way, the meaning of “then one man and two women from the witnesses you will agree with…” was obtained from the text. Accordingly, seeking a qualified witness was stipulated in “witnessing of one man and two women” and it was not taken into account in “witnessing of two men”.

However, according to Our Rabb’s statement in Surah At-Talaq 2, the witnesses must be among the just ones. That is to say, “both male witnesses must be among the just ones (a witness must be a person who is independent, able to distinguish between good and evil, Muslim, who knows that what he is witnessing, who will not have any benefit or eliminate a loss through such witnessing, who is not known with the trait of being wrong, who has an established personality and who does not have animosity against the person whom he witnesses). Hence, in the ayah, the expression of “ممن ترضون mimmen terzavne” must be connected with the verb of “استشهدو isteshidu”. There is no technical prevention for it.

Why two women?

Referral to two women witnesses has been connected with the fact that women were not acquainted with the commercial issues and relations as they were engaged with the domestic works at that time and that, when a dispute took place, they might confuse the issue which is a commercial matter that happened years ago. So, the two female witnesses would negotiate the issue between them when necessary, they would recall it well and witness accordingly. Otherwise, they might cause injustice. In the ayah, it is understood that one woman from among the women with the necessary qualification, with the knowledge in the commercial and administrative issues and with experience thus with no possibility of being wrong and strayed will be sufficient together with one man for witnessing.

In the ayah, the business made upon loan is requested that it should be written/recorded and witnessed in any case, because disputes and quarrels are ordinary things in such matters. The parties may forget about or deny the amounts and terms or the creditor may attempt to change the term. Such problems are not encountered when it is written and witnessed.

In the ayah, with the expression of “– Let the witnesses be among those good witnesses whom you agree–”; attentions are invited to the fact that the witnesses must not be determined as a matter of form but some qualities must be sought in them. In addition, as it will be specified later on, it is said Take two people who are just from among you witnesses (Surah at-Talaq 2) regarding the time of divorce. What is understood from this is that the witnesses should be from among the people being “just”. That is to say, a witness must be a person who is independent, able to distinguish between good and evil, Muslim, who knows that what he is witnessing, who will not have any benefit or eliminate a loss through such witnessing, who is not known with the trait of being wrong, who has an established personality and who does not have animosity against the person whom he witnesses.

Yes, the conclusion also in this issue is that: In general witnessing, there is no difference and discrimination between women and men. Women and men are equal.

Divorce/Talaq :

Talaq/divorce in Arabic means lexically ‘unfastening the tie’. As a term, it means, unfastening of the marital tie established through the agreement of marriage between the men and women.

In the practical life, we see that the applications in divorce are against women. The plug is pulled by the men and when he says, “divorce”, it comes to an end and the family is no more. Knowing that he has such right, the man abuses or inflicts cruelty towards his wife. Let us take a look at the issue of divorce in Islam in this section.

We will mention the issue here briefly in two aspects. First are the status of women and men in divorce and the wrong application of the case in the society.

According to the acceptance among the public and to the narratives in the Fiqh and ilmihal/religious laws and life knowledge books, the authorization of divorce has been granted to men. Men can use such authority whenever they want and in whatever conditions they deem necessary. That is to say, a man can divorce from his wife anytime he wishes. He pulls the plug. This authorization is above the head of a woman as the sword of Damocles. When he says, ‘divorce’, it is all over; the family is destroyed and the children are devastated. A man with such authorization would exploit and inflict cruelty on his wife at all times. Unfortunately, this is the application for ages in the society.

Even though the marriage/wedding takes place with the free wills, agreements and express statements before witnesses of both parties, woman and man, how is it possible that the authorization of administration of the marriage is granted to the man unilaterally. And, how can a man unilaterally end the union of marriage that is constituted through a common will and decision? Isn’t this application, which is contrary to all the humanly activities and the rules of agreeing and terminating of agreements in the interpersonal relations, an act of taking side of the male and committing cruelty towards women? Of course it is. In addition, such condition is against the measures of the religion, conscience and reason to the extent that it should not even be debated.

But, see what is the justification behind it!? As a woman is more emotional, excitable, touchy, weaker than a man, and as she does not spend any material thing like mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] in the formation of marriage, if she is given the authorization of divorce, she could use the authorization without thinking, fast and multiple times and this could be a factor of constant threat for the marriage. For this reason, women were not granted the authorization of ‘divorcing’.

As you see, it is not the religion of Islam that does not authorize women to divorce but the people with the mentality I presented above. Although they established this view, they produced rulings such as “If a woman has the fact that she would have the authorization of divorce (tefviz) to be written on the paper of marriage during wedding, then that woman could have the authorization of divorce. In addition, if she decides that she would no longer go along with her husband (hul’), she could also divorce her husband by returning the mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] she has received or by giving the money or goods (a kind of tribute) that would satisfy her husband”, which again favor males. Trough these rulings, they tried to eliminate the criticisms to be made. Nevertheless, those women who are unable to conduct such negotiation during wedding and who lack the possibilities to give tributes to their husbands will not be able to get divorced regardless of whether they want or not and they will be obliged to bear the torture.

Now, let us come to the issue of talaq/divorce in the essence of Islam; in the Qur’an. As you know, there is a surah called At-Talaq/Divorce in the Qur’an. Let’s take a look at the first ayat of this surah:

Surah At-Talaq 1-2:

1O Prophet! When you divorce women, divorce them for their Iddah and count Iddah/waiting period. And enter under the guardianship of Allah, your Rabb. Do not take them out of their homes unless they have committed an explicit transgression, immorality, nor should they leave. These are the limits of Allah. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allah has definitely treated unjustly to himself. You do not know, perhaps Allah will bring about another matter after this.

2,3And when they have reached the end of their term, either keep them in a way that is acceptable for all or part with them in a way that is acceptable for all. Take two people who are just from among you witnesses. And establish the testimony for Allah. This is instructed to those who believe in Allah and the last day. And whoever enters under the guardianship of Allah, Allah will make for him a way out and will provide him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies on Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely, Allah is the One Who fulfills His command. Allah has definitely determined/set a measure for everything.

Have you paid attention? Who is it that was addressed in these ayat; that is to say, who is the addressee?

IT IS THE PROPHET. That is to say, the president of the state. In other words, THE HEAD OF THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY.

Let us refer to the Qur’an now:

Surah An-Nisa 35:

35If you fear dissension between wife and husband, then send to them an arbitrator from among the close people of the husband and an arbitrator from among the close people of the wife. If the wife and the husband truly desire to reconcile, Allah will give reconciliation between them. Indeed, Allah is the One Who knows very well, is the One Who knows well inner and hidden sides of everything.

Who are the addressees of this ayah? The addressees here are the PEOPLE. Remember the first ayah of the surah: O mankind! Enter under the guardianship of your Rabb Who formed you from a single self ……..

Address is to the humanity in this ayah as well. That is to say, to the public authority, not any individual.

As seen in the ayat, the authorization of divorce belongs to the public authority. Women and men have no authority of divorce. They have the right of getting divorced. The spouse who wishes to get divorced makes an application to the public authority and submits his/her reasons. Scrutiny of them and the judgment belong the public authority, the authorized court.

Now, let us pore over the second social oversight regarding divorce: That is to say, we will see the issue of three talaq/divorce and use of these three talaq/divorce altogether. Let us view the ayat regulating the issue.

Surah Al-Baqara 229,230:

229Divorce is twice. Then, either keep in a way that is acceptable for all or release by making better. It is not halal/permissible for you to take back anything from which you have given to them. Yet, it is different when both of them fear that they are unable to keep within the limits of Allah. But, public officials; if you fear that they are not able to keep within the limits of Allah, then there is no blame upon both of them concerning that the woman gives a ransom/divorce compensation. These are the limits of Allah. Do not go beyond them. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allah, it is those who treat their very selves unjustly.

230If he divorces the woman, then she will not be halal/permissible for him unless she marries another husband other than him. Then, if the second husband divorces her and if they are confident that they are able to keep within the limits of Allah, then there is no blame upon them to return to each other. These are the limits of Allah which He makes clear for a people who know.

If you pay attention, in the first ayah, divorce is twice, not three times. What does this mean? Let us explain. Married couples get divorced. It is possible. They contemplate and ponder about it and remarried. Nevertheless, they cannot make it again and they get re-divorced. This way, the couple gets married twice and divorced twice. There is no prevention for such application. This is a rule and limit imposed by Allah. So, can’t they get married for the third time?

The answer of it is in the ayah 230; the second ayah above. As seen in the ayah, the spouses divorced for the second time cannot get married right away once again under normal conditions. However, if, in the course of time, the woman gets married to someone else and then becomes a widow by getting divorced from him, and if her previous husband is suitable for marriage, they can get married for the third time. Otherwise, they cannot get married as they did in the initial two marriages.

Here, heed must be taken to the following issue well: This marriage of the woman must not be prearranged. It must be a marriage and divorce experienced during the normal flow of life. It must not be like the buffoonery referred to among public as Hullah. The buffoonery applied among the people is nothing but self-deception of humans.

In addition, another misconduct of the society in the issue is the understanding that the right of three divorces can be used at once. That is to say, when a person who utters, ‘I have divorced my spouse with three talaq’ or a person who has said, ‘Let my spouse get divorced through three talaq’, is acknowledged to have entered a situation in which he/she will no longer be able to marry the spouse again. However, the rights granted by Allah are not allowed to be used by spouses. This way, the parties are victimized despite the limits determined by Allah. In the ilmihal and Fiqh/life knowledge and religious laws books, the details regarding the issue are available. However, such understanding is an understanding that is contrary to the Qur’an. This understanding was not present in the periods of our Prophet and Ebu Beqr. This legal precedent was unfortunately brought along by Caliph Omar for people to be precautious and to care for their marriage and has continued to the present times.

Use of the right of three divorces through a single application is contrary to the Qur’an and as well as the reason and logic. Accordingly, if a person who takes a rope and ties it in a knot, unfastens it and says, ‘I unfastened this knot three times’, the knot will not be unfastened three times. It has been unfastened once. The one who says ‘I unfastened this knot three times’ will lie. For that knot to be unfastened three times, it must have been tied two more times. Just like this, possibility of the second and third divorces depends on the fulfillment of the second and third marriages. There can not be a divorce for a wedding which has not been fulfilled.

Divorced Woman

Very specific principles regarding divorced women took place in the Qur’an and in all of them, behavior toward women with “the good things accepted by all” was stipulated. We are presenting them without a comment:

Surah Al-Baqara 228-232:

228Divorced women will wait by themselves for the time of three menstruation cycles. If they believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife], it is not halal/permissible for them to hide what Allah has formed in their wombs. And should their husbands wish to reconcile, they have more right to do it within that period. And as there is some loss for them, there are also many benefits over them that comply with the way that is acceptable for all. Yet, there is a degree over them for the men [men do not wait iddah like women]. And Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

229Divorce is twice. Then, either keep in a way that is acceptable for all or release by making better. It is not halal/permissible for you to take back anything from which you have given to them. Yet, it is different when both of them fear that they are unable to keep within the limits of Allah. But, public officials; if you fear that they are not able to keep within the limits of Allah, then there is no blame upon both of them concerning that the woman gives a ransom/divorce compensation. These are the limits of Allah. Do not go beyond them. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allah, it is those who treat their very selves unjustly.

230If he divorces the woman, then she will not be halal/permissible for him unless she marries another husband other than him. Then, if the second husband divorces her and if they are confident that they are able to keep within the limits of Allah, then there is no blame upon them to return to each other. These are the limits of Allah which He makes clear for a people who know.

231When you divorce women and they complete their waiting period, either keep them under acceptable conditions or release them again under acceptable conditions, but do not keep them against their good for violating their rights. Whoever does this has treated unjustly to his very self. And do not take the Ayat of Allah in jest, remember and contemplate over the favor of Allah upon you, the book which He has sent down to remind you and laws, rules and principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos. And be under the guardianship of Allah and know that indeed Allah is the One Who knows all best.

232And when you divorce women and they have completed their terms and when they come to an agreement with their spouses in a way that is acceptable for all, do not forbid and prevent them just because they will marry their husbands. This is with what those among you who believe in Allah and Akhirat [Afterlife] are reminded. This is more appropriate and better for you. And Allah knows but you do not know.

Surah At-Talaq 1-7:

1O Prophet! When you divorce women, divorce them for their Iddah and count Iddah/waiting period. And enter under the guardianship of Allah, your Rabb. Do not take them out of their homes unless they have committed an explicit transgression, immorality, nor should they leave. These are the limits of Allah. And whoever transgresses the limits of Allah has definitely treated unjustly to himself. You do not know, perhaps Allah will bring about another matter after this.

2,3And when they have reached the end of their term, either keep them in a way that is acceptable for all or part with them in a way that is acceptable for all. Take two people who are just from among you witnesses. And establish the testimony for Allah. This is instructed to those who believe in Allah and the last day. And whoever enters under the guardianship of Allah, Allah will make for him a way out and will provide him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies on Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely, Allah is the One Who fulfills His command. Allah has definitely determined/set a measure for everything.

4And as for those from among your women whose menstrual cycle have been interrupted and who do not have any menstrual cycle because of an abnormality; if you doubt, their waiting term is three months. And the waiting term for those of them who are pregnant is until they deliver their burden; give birth or miscarry. Whoever enters under the guardianship of Allah; Allah will make ease for him of his matter.

5This is the command of Allah which He has sent down to you. And whoever enters under the guardianship of Allah, Allah will remove his evil deeds and increase the reward for him.

6Lodge those women in a part of your home according to your capacity and do not do anything to oppress them which may harm them and you. If they are pregnant, spend on them/provide sustenance until they deliver their burden. Then if they breastfeed for you, give them their payment and confer among yourselves in a way that is acceptable for all. And if you are in discord, then another woman will breastfeed whose payment will be upon the father.

7Let those who have vast resources spend/provide sustenance in accordance with their resources. And let him whose provision is restricted give from what Allah has given to him. Allah does not burden anyone other than what He has given to him. Allah will bring an ease after hardship.

Source of the Injustice Towards Women

As can be understood from the following ayat, there are primitive traditions at the source of the practices regarding women, which are out of Islam, reason and scientific truths. The Arabic customs in the period before Islam, such as beard, turban, burqa, veil and shalwar, were made as if they were in the religion and caused to be accepted by the Muslims right after the demise of our Prophet.

The reason for making such customs as if they were part of the religion is to make the women cover their brain, not their bodies or heads. We can see the Arabic customs from the Qur’an:

Surah An-Nahl: 56-59, 62:

56And those who associate others with Allah assign share from that which We have given them as provision for that which they do not know. –By Allah, you will definitely be questioned for that which you have been inventing.-

57And they attribute daughters to Allah. –Purified is Allah from this- And for them are sons that they desire.

58And when one of them is given the good tidings of a birth of a daughter, his face becomes dark with anger.

59He hides himself from his people because of the ill of the good tiding/news he has been given; should he keep the daughter despite humiliation and scorned or should he bury her into the ground? Be careful! How evil is their judgment/tradition!

62And they attribute to Allah that which they dislike. And their tongues continuously say in vain that the best belongs to them. Indeed, there will be only fire for them and they will be thrown first.

In this group of ayat, the strayed beliefs of the Arabs in terms of their children and commodities and how far they went in customs, ignorance and insolence are expressed. The Arab polytheists of that time made so-called distributions according to their minds and allocated some of the food to idols and their so-called deities. They owned the male children that they considered superior and ascribed the female children whom they scorned on to Allah. When one of them was given the news that he had a daughter, he would become furious with such news and his face would turn black, aside from blushing, because of his anger. He would hide away from the society because of his female newborn and experience a battle within himself like “I don’t know if I keep or bury my child despite this infamy“.

These ayat demonstrate the condition of humanity once and how Islam brought it out of a social pit.

Such beliefs of them have been shown in Surah Az-Zukhruf 19 and Surah An-Najm 21–22 as well.

The Arabic customs were this way. Nevertheless, there are more customs in the areas where the Civil laws have not entered yet in our world. According to such customs, women are deprived of inheritance and right of word in marriage and divorce. They are not educated, nor are they considered children. When father is asked about the number of his children, he tells the number of his sons; he does not consider his daughters.

When women make mistakes, they are proclaimed as prostitutes and courtesans and when men make mistakes, they are considered as womanizer, philanderer, wolf and Casanova through praises. That is our society in the 21st century.

The Warning of Allah

Surah At-Takwir 8,9:

… 8,9when those who are in agony are asked “For what sin were their lives ruined?”…

“موؤدة Mev’ude”, expressed in the ayah is derived from the root of “وئد Ve’d”. “وئد Ve’d” means strong, high, sonorous sound, cry, whish which is heard from distance.[3]

Mev’ude refers to the inhuman tradition of the Arabs before the Islam of burying the female children alive into ground.

Some of the Arabs did it with the fear that something disgraceful might happen to them in the future because of their daughters and some did it to make their daughters angels because of the belief that “angels are the daughters of Allah”. However, it is a higher probability that the main reason that caused them to inflict this cruelty is poverty and fear of being unable to feed the child. This issue is mentioned in some other ayat such as Surah Al-An’am 151 and Surah Al-Isra 31.

However, there were those people who did not assent to bury the female children among the Arabs. For example, the person called Sa’sa’a b. Naciye el-Mucasi, grandfather of famous Arab poet Farazdak, rescued the female children to be buried into ground from Beni Temim, his own tribe, by giving ransom.

Another point that must be taken into account in these ayat is that the question about the reason of the murder committed by means of burying alive is asked to the innocent girl who is killed, not to the murderer. The fact that the question will be asked to the innocent, unprotected and aggrieved girl means that, on the Judgment Day, no right of word will be given to the murderer who committed the murder; with this expression, the art of “Tariz” (antithesis) is presented and these murderers were warned severely regarding the situation they would experience at the great crowd.

In the ayat, it is explained that killing of children intentionally is a great sin regardless of the manner of committing, by exemplifying the murder committed through burying alive that in fact.

The expression of ve iza’l-mev’udeti suilet in the ayah is translated as “when the girl who is buried alive into the ground is asked” which narrows down the message of the ayah. True meaning of the expression is: “every adult person, whether girl or boy, whose possibilities are restricted through oppression and torment; deprived from education-training, job opportunities and possibilities, thus being obliged to have an inconvenienced and shabby life and whose lives pass in agony”. It must be remembered that such type of social murder is in the scope of the same felony as well.

[1]Rabb means “The One Who disciplines and educates, One Who guides his creations to a certain target/targets within the frame of a schedule, one who programs and manages the development”. This word, in absolute terms, is used for Allah alone. As to humans, it is used in such forms as “the rabb of the house”, “the rabb of the workplace”, etc. The English term closest to this term in the context of meaning is “boss”. While having a meaning close to rabb, this word does not cover the meaning of rabb entirely as it is used only in the commercial context. For this reason, since we did not have the possibility to explain the term rabb with multiple words, we had to leave it in its original Arabic form. Therefore, our readers should keep the above mentioned definition in their minds.

[2] Allah does not have a gender. However, in the language of English, 3rd singular personal pronoun is used differently for male and female. It is the male personal pronoun which is used in the official writings such as law, circular notice and regulations. Because of this character of the language of English, the pronoun of “He” has been used for “Allah”.

]]>http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?feed=rss2&p=8140FOOTNOTEShttp://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=810
http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=810#respondWed, 21 Dec 2016 10:46:58 +0000http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=8101 When freedom is taken away and the human dignity is broken; some deities and rabbs (a god that masters, nurtures, sustains, etc.) are fabricated; shirk [associating others with Allah], injustice, wrong deeds and chaos spread on the earth and ... Read More »

]]>1 When freedom is taken away and the human dignity is broken; some deities and rabbs (a god that masters, nurtures, sustains, etc.) are fabricated; shirk [associating others with Allah], injustice, wrong deeds and chaos spread on the earth and the balance of the nature is disturbed, Allah sends a messenger and reveals a book to those peoples due to His mercy. Allah takes His mercy as His debt. So, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was chosen as the Messenger in Mecca under these conditions and he was revealed.

2 Rabb means “The One Who disciplines and educates, One Who guides his creations to certain targets within the frame of a schedule, one who programs and manages the development”. This word, in absolute terms, is used for Allah alone. As to humans, it is used in such forms as “the rabb of the house”, “the rabb of the workplace”, etc. The English term closest to this term in the context of meaning is “boss”. While having a meaning close to rabb, this word does not cover the meaning of rabb entirely as it is used only in the commercial context. For this reason, since we did not have the possibility to explain the term rabb with multiple words, we had to leave it in its original Arabic form. Therefore, our readers should keep the above mentioned definition in their minds.

3 This command is directly to the Prophet, so it does not concern others. The word iqra, which we translated as “learn-teach!”, is generally translated in other interpretations of the Qur’an as “recite”. What meant here is not the activity of reading a book or a text. One can also recite when alone. The literal meaning of the word is “accumulate and distribute your accumulation”. Therefore, what actually meant with the use of this word is “learn and teach”. This is the essence of the duty of the prophets. The Messenger will later be informed about what he will learn and teach (8/87, Al-A’la/1-13; Division 20). For this reason, we translated this word as “learn-teach”.

4 With the expression, “Who taught by the pen”, as used in the Ayah, the Messenger of Allah is given the direction to write down or have others write down the Ayat revealed to him; thus ensuring that the Ayat are preserved.

5 When man believes that he becomes wealthy, he takes on Allah and transgresses, thinking what he does will not be recompensed; he pretends to be Allah, becomes irresponsible.

6 Outside of its literal meaning, the word Salah has always been translated and interpreted as the “daily prayer” for centuries. The literal meaning of Salah is “to support, to help, to share one’s burden; to assume the liability for solution and to backup”. The word “as-Salah” as mentioned in the Qur’an, became a proper name that means “to support financially and spiritually against the problems, to undertake the liability of solution for the problems”. The problems mentioned here are not only personal problems but also are such social issues as education and training, economic and political matters, etc. In short, Salah is the foundation and the symbol of the social nation. The word “as-Salah”, in our interpretation, is present both in its original Arabic form and also as used in English. The English use of the word “Salah” is detailed in our work, “Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an]”.

7Taqwa is a word that means “to avoid committing sin thus to evade the harm and the punishment that one may suffer on the day of judgment by entering under the guardianship of Allah and embracing the righteous deeds”. It was first mentioned in the Qur’an in the meaning of “refraining from associating others with Allah” and “to believe in Akhirat”, has then been expanded to cover all actions that reflect faith. Therefore, we used the term “taqwa” as “entering under the guardianship of Allah” and the term “muttaqi” as “the one who enters under the guardianship of Allah”.

8 It is seen in the Qur’an that many Surat starts with “detached, unconnected letters”. Various theories are suggested by some people about this matter stating that these letters are analogous, codes, abbreviation of a word, initials or final letters of certain words, etc. In our opinion, these letters are warning symbols such as “Elâ! [Be careful! Open your eyes!]” and as the “Hello!” used when answering the telephone, these exclamatory words draw attention to the respective Ayat to be read. Furthermore, these are indispensable elements of the mathematical structure of the Qur’an. Also, these letters may represent a numerical value. Insomuch as numbers were not invented among the Arabs in the era the Qur’an was revealed, and letters were used in place of numbers. Utilization of letters as numbers is known as “abjad”. We have shown the numerical values of the detached letters next to them. We do not have an established opinion as to what these numerical values were meant to represent. The “abjad” system has no peculiar quality or property other than having been used as numbers in the era when the Qur’an was revealed.

While no satisfactory studies have been conducted so far in relation with these detached letters, available works offer only references to what was conveyed by the ancients. Clarification of this matter – as many others – calls for the intervention of honest, sincere and willful companions of the Qur’an.

9 Arabic language uses a sentence construction, called an “Oath [Qaseem] Sentence”, to support the suggested theory with solid evidence. That is, the “Oath [Qaseem] Sentence” is utilized to firmly establish the suggested theory with solid evidence. The Oath [Qaseem] Sentence consists of two parts: The first part is the wowing part [producing witnesses, submitting evidence] called the “Oath Part”; and the second part is where the suggested theory is submitted, called the “Reply to Oath”. In the oath part, individuals, events and objects are given as evidence of the theory that is suggested in the second part. In the Reply to Oath Path, on the other hand, the main subject of the theory is given. Technical structure of these sentences are different from the other sentence constructions as well. These are detailed in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

This sentence construction is used hundreds of times in the Qur’an. Our Rabb uses oaths [Qaseem] for many events, systems or “things” and produces them as evidence for His judgments.

10 As it can clearly be understood from the paragraph, Muhammad was chosen as a prophet due to the respect showed to him by his people, and the fact that he is moral, intellectually and mentally sound, and has a clean wealth.

11 Literal meaning of the Ayah is as follows: “We will put seal on his hose”. This is a statement that expresses the way Arabs humiliate a person before the society. We replaced this statement with an English cognate.

12 Our Rabb relentlessly gives endless examples and stories so that the topic may be understood correctly, a lesson may be taken and to enlighten the future. We will see hundreds of exemplifications and stories. These stories and examples are about Noah, Ad, Thamud, Lot, people of Moses/Israelities, Pharaoh whom the people that lived in the era when the Qur’an was revealed knew very well and their remnants. Since the stories, which play an important role in the education and training, are also quite effective for warning, many stories and exemplifications are given in the Qur’an, and these are reiterated many times. As can be easily understood from the style of these stories and exemplifications, these are not told to provide historical information but as a reminder. Stories and exemplifications contained in the Qur’an, according to our findings, offer the following advantages to the people to whom the reminder will benefit:

These;

Give the information that many prophets were sent before thus showing that the prophets were not emerged by themselves.

Teach that the only task of all prophets were but to convey messages and to remind.

Give the information that the messengers of Allah were always opposed by the chiefs of the people they were sent.

Give examples from the past – some of them known to them – to let those who deny the truth conveyed by the prophets and forbid them will be punished; remind, warn them and enlighten the future by explaining the reasons of their collapse and devastation.

Inspire trust by informing that our Prophet and His companions faced situations that were experienced by the previous prophets and their people in a similar fashion or almost exactly the same way; also, motivate and spiritually reinforce them by telling them that the Messengers of Allah always prevailed.

People of today should review and research the civilizations, peoples that were outside of the Middle East and collapsed after the revelation of the Qur’an; for instance Anatolian, Carian, Lydian, Lycian, Phrygian, Hittite, Urartu, Ionian, Hellenic, Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Alexander the Great, Byzantine, etc., and establish their future by avoiding mistakes and wrongs that they did.

13 Tasbih means “To purify Allah from things that do not suit Him, so, glorifying Him; to comprehend that He is adorned with all kinds of perfect qualities and to say this fact aloud at any time possible”.

14 The word Sabir/Patience, the literal meaning of which is “to imprison, contain”, means “to have patience on the path guided by intellect and the religion, to be resolute, not to break loose”; i.e. “to withstand all malice one may suffer beyond his control and experience great agony because of it; to strive to overcome all this malice”. When examining what Sabir is, one must also know what it is not. It must be well known that, it is not to succumb to unlawful conviction, not to yield to laziness and sluggishness and submit to being humiliated, not to resign to abasement, rapes, any act that may damage human dignity, not to keep silent and passive against these, endure, be patient. Because keeping silent against illegality is to take part in it. On the contrary, Sabir is “to strive, to stand up against such malice, to defend and protect a right, and being resolute in the course of this”. Our Rabb said: “There were many prophets, with whom many soldiers of Allah fought; they did not weaken, corrupt and give in because of what afflicted them in the path of Allah. And Allah likes those who are steadfast. (Surah Al-Imran 146). Resigning to the malice that may be overcome with self power and will or showing unwillingness and weakness in the procurement of one’s needs is not Sabir but inability, laziness and cowardice. Common in all prophets, Sabir plays an important role in Islam. Trying to explain it with a few words does not reflect the whole meaning of the word. Therefore, we preferred to use the direct English translation of the term Sabir. Our readers should know the meaning of Sabir well. Sabir is detailed in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

The literal meaning of the word hut, which we translated as “distress” is “the distress caused by insatiability, dissatisfaction”. Since fish lacks the sense of fullness, “the fish” is defined as hut. The expression those who have hut means “Yunus [Jonah] and Moses”. These two prophets depressed due to the complexity of their tasks and tried to evade their liabilities. In the Qur’an (Official Mushaf: Surah As-Saffat/139-149 and Surah Al-Kahf/61) the term hut is attributed to both of them. And according to the Qur’an (Official Mushaf: Surah As-Saaffah/139-148 and Surah An-Naml/10, Surah Al-Qasas/31) both of them evaded their tasks.

15 The meaning of the word Muzzammil as used in the original Ayah is “the one who is enshrouded in a cloth or anything”. In the idiomatic use; the term means “preparation for the sleep, wearing underwear, pajamas before getting in the bed, tuck oneself under the quilt, live solitarily, avoid getting involved with people”. In our interpretation, we opted for the second meaning.

16 Due to geographic and cultural conditions, this task is well suited to a community in which social and cultural affairs are carried out in the night. Other believers who live outside of the Arabian geography should serve their religious liabilities in accordance with the conditions of their respective geographies, without any consideration for night-day.

17 Waqil means “the one who arranges all creatures pursuant to a schedule and implements this schedule by supporting, maintaining it”.

18 See Footnote No. 121

19 See Footnote No. 116

20 This Ayah belong to the Medinan Period. Exact time of its revelation is not known. Those who first organized the Mushaf placed this Ayah among the first revealed Ayat. In our opinion, this Ayah (division), which constitutes a division by itself, should follow the 106th Ayah of the Surah At-Tawbah; i.e. between Divisions 712 and 713. In this Ayah, duties of the believers and the Messengers of Allah are separated and duties of the believers are stated to be easier than the Messengers’ duties and the divine principles do not burden the votaries.

21 While in the 10th division the term muzzammil is used, here the expression ya ayyuha’l mudaththir is used. In many works the terms muzzammil and mudaththir are used in the same meaning. However, there is a nuance between these two words in terms of meaning. If this fact is overseen, the true message of the Ayah can not be fully comprehended. The word muzzammil means the act of “dressing in general using such items as dresses, blankets, clothes, etc.”. Mudaththir, on the other hand, means the act of “dressing in a manner that is acceptable in the public using garments that can be worn in the public”. The original form of mudaththir is mutedaththir. Daththarmeans “such garments that can be worn over the shirt as gowns, coats, trench coats, robes, etc.”.

In this Ayah, allegory, one of the literary techniques that are utilized in the Qur’an, is used. Wearing an outer garments means being prepared to go shopping, go to work or go out. This allegory, in turn, means that Muhammad wears the uniform of the prophethood and he is ready to warn the people.

The explicit message of the Ayah is as follows: “O one who wears the coat of prophethood! O Muhammad, the one who wears the coat of prophethood and girded up!”.

24 Being the infinite form of the trilateral root of a-b-d, the term Ibadah means “to serve, to engage in voluntary servitude”. These meanings express the unconditional submission, obedience and compliance of the individual. In the context of religion, it means: “Unconditional acknowledgement and fulfillment of the liabilities of the servant towards his master/creator, which are assigned to him by his master/creator”. Allah, the Creator of all things, informed His servants on the attitude and lifestyle He determined for His servants using various methods and ultimately compiled all these revelations in the Qur’an. In the light of these facts, Ibadah is the unconditional fulfillment of the duties conveyed by Allah through a guide [the Qur’an] to His servants, under absolute obedience and submission. Then, Ibadah is not fulfilling a few specific deeds as widely used by the people. Ibadah is to “fulfill and implement all duties assigned in the servitude guide of Allah”.

25Inzaar means “to frighten, to faze by informing and raising awareness”. We translate the imperative mood of this word as “Warn!”. Our dear readers should remember that the expression “Warn!” does mean “Faze through frightening, informing and raising awareness!”.

26 In those Ayat we have seen so far, it can be understood that; our Rabb directly addresses Muhammad bin Abdullah, appoints him as the Prophet and commands him to learn and teach in the name of his Rabb; trains and prepares him for his task; adorn him with the uniform of prophethood and furnish him. Here we can see that Allah calls Muhammad for duty by saying: Immediately, warn! “In the name of Allah, the One Who gives blessings to all living beings He created, the One Who is very merciful upon those He created: “All praise is to Allah, Rabb23 of all worlds22, the One Who gives blessings to all living beings He created, the One Who is very merciful to those He created, the owner and the ruler of the day of Akhirat [Afterlife], on which everyone will be recompensed with all deeds, evil or good, he did; no one else may be praised. Only You we worship24 and only You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path of those whom You favored, not to the path of those whom You are not pleased with and who are stuck in confusion” And proclaim that your Rabb is the greatest. One should remember that in those divisions of the Qur’an, our Rabb addresses only our Prophet and our Prophet has not delivered the messages to anyone else yet. According to the historical records, having received the command “Immediately, warn!In the name of Allah, the One Who gives blessings to all living beings He created, the One Who is very merciful upon those He created: “All praise is to Allah, Rabb23 of all worlds22, the One Who gives blessings to all living beings He created, the One Who is very merciful to those He created, the owner and the ruler of the day of Akhirat [Afterlife], on which everyone will be recompensed with all deeds, evil or good, he did; no one else may be praised. Only You we worship24 and only You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path of those whom You favored, not to the path of those whom You are not pleased with and who are stuck in confusion!” 3And proclaim that your Rabb is the greatest”, the Prophet climbed up the Al-Safa, summoned people around him and started his speech: “I hereby (teach, warn) in the name of Allah, the One Who gives blessings to all living beings He created, the One Who is very merciful to those He created…”.

As can be seen, the 7 Ayat, which are known as the Surah Al-Fatiha, are actually the supplemental parts of the 2nd Ayah of the Surah Al-Mudaththir and not an independent Surah. Conversion of these Ayat into an independent Surah and naming it Al-Fatiha [the Introduction/the Opening] invokes the notion that the Qur’an was compiled by the Prophet or these Ayat were not revealed but merely a statement of the Prophet and then inserted in the Qur’an as an introduction.

27 The expression, “Blowing of the Trumpet” correlates to the specific method that was used in the ancient era to summon people or warn them of a danger. The trumpet in question was used to be made of the horn of cattle. Blowing of this trumpet reminds the trumpet muster or summoning siren or a referee blowing his whistle to start or finish a game or the school bell that marks the start or end of the lessons. We may interpret this as “the sounding of the alarm”. This expression will be used in everywhere other than this Ayah in the form, “blowing of the Sur”.

28 These Ayat have been considered as ambiguous and consequently interpreted differently in other interpretations and commentaries. For this very reason, this will likely be the case in the future. Bashar, saqar and lavvahat, three terms mentioned in the Ayah, are homonyms. Bashar, saqar and lavvaha are used a couple of times in the Ayah to pun. The literal meaning of saqar is “pain perceived by brain caused by the fire”. Due to this meaning, Saqar has become one of the proper names attributed to Jahannah [Hell]. However, in this paragraph, our Rabb says “Do you know what Saqar is?” thus implying that the word Saqar is not used in its literal meaning as widely used by the people instead it means another concept. There are many examples of pun like this. That means, our Rabb ascribes a new meaning to the word Saqar (Division 15): “Saqar is something that produces exceptional plaques for the man, spares nothing yet terminates nothing, upon which set is the “nineteen”. And those who suggested that the Qur’an is fabricated words of the man will experience the “Saqar” and know that the Qur’an is not the word of man. Bashar, on the other hand, means “people, man” and “outer skin of humans which may grow hair”. The Root of the homonym lavahhat, “levh”, means “timber” and also “lightning, to sparkle, to be seen from afar, to torch, burn the skin, thirst”. Our dear readers may derive various definitions and adopt any of them according to their understanding.

It is obvious that the 31st Ayah of the Official Mushaf does not fit in here in terms of content and structure. We believe that it is placed here due to carelessness of those who compiled the Mushaf. We are yet to determine the actual position of this Ayah which covers the same subject as the Surat Al-Imran/7 and Al-Baqara/26,27 in the Official Mushaf. For this reason, we rendered the Ayah as an independent division (division 15) here. The Ayah is unrelated to other Ayat before and after it.

29 In this paragraph, another evidence is produced for that the Qur’an is not the words of man and importance of saqar is emphasized. The “actual” meaning of the words of the Ayat is as follows: “No, no! The moon; and the night when it turns its back, and the day when it is bright are the evidences that it [Saqar] is one of the greatest things that are a warning for those of you who want to go ahead/proceed or stay aback”. As will be seen herein, the word Qamar [the Moon] metaphorically used for “the Messenger”; night for “ignorance”; and day for “social enlightenment”. So, in this interpretation, we directly showed the metaphorical meaning. When the actual capacity of Muhammad, the effect of the Qur’an on the community; eradication of the ignorance, and the social enlightenment are considered, it can surely be understood that the Qur’an is not the word of man. Saqar proves this fact with another approach.

30 It is widely accepted that the person mentioned in this Surah as Abu Lahab is Abduluzza bin Abdulmuttalib ben Hasheem; and his wife is Umm Jamill [Awra]. The historical records describe Abu Lahab as an extremely wealthy, large, red faced and hot tempered person. He fought against Islam until the end of his life and always led or was among those who used to associate others with Allah. Although he did not participate in the Battle of Badir personally, he sent a mercenary. When our Prophet started to convey the Messages revealed to him by Allah, Abu Lahab was the first one to deny. During the recitation of Al-Fatiha, he cried out, “Curse be upon you! This is why you gathered us here?” and threw stones at Him, injuring His feet. Thereafter, during the visits of our Prophet at bazaars, markets, etc. to convey the truth, Abu Lahab followed Him like a shadow; tried every possible way to prevent Him. He sabotaged His meetings, trying to convince people by saying, “Here, he is my nephew, he is a madman, do not listen to him!”. His verbal attacks were sometimes followed by physical attacks. And these were not all he did. He used to ridicule our Prophet, saying “If son of my brother tells the truth, I will pledge my children and wealth and evade the punishment”.

While Abu Lahab was keeping his animosity against our Prophet alive with verbal and physical attacks, his wife supported her husband by laying thorns around the Prophet’s house and spreading gossips against Him. Her support was so enthusiastic that she gave her beloved necklace away as a gift for the sake of this hatred. Many mufassir [interpreter of the Qur’an] suggest that the expression “a fiber noose on her neck” mentioned in the 6th Ayah represents that infamous necklace.

Such hatred coming from close relatives saddened the Prophet. He could not reach the success He wanted due to their preventions and negative propagandas. The damage caused by His uncle was much higher that the damage caused by others. Some said: “Why should we believe in somebody who is not trusted even by his own uncle?”.

These Ayat, known as the Surah “Abu Lahab” were revealed to cheer up and support and motivate the Prophet in such distressful times.

In the previously revealed Ayat, those who transgressed because of the wealth, property and people’s support they had were mentioned without being named, and it was revealed that these people who denied the Akhirat [Afterlife] should be left to Allah, that they would be punished by Allah. Those mentioned with their characteristics and properties were personified in the person of Abu Lahab.

Since the Qur’an is a universal message beyond time and space, it would be wrong to assume that this message is peculiar to a specific timeframe or to a specific geographic region. While giving an example about a matter in the Qur’an, Allah does not specify a date, place or name. He describes those who deals with their attitude, character and personal properties. Thus, He ensures that the example He gives will always be valid, at any time and in any place.

Another message conveyed through this Surah is that, since even Prophet’s own uncle has no privilege, social position of an individual notwithstanding if he is a king, a slave; wealthy or poor, or inherited honorific titles such as Sayyid or Sharif will not make the individual privileged on the day of Akhirat [Afterlife].

These Ayat fulfill a miracle by providing news for the future. In the Surah, it is stated that Abu Lahab and his wife would not surrender and believe and would be sent to Jahannah [Hell]. Died 15 years after the Surah was revealed, Abu Lahab denied the truth until his death. This miracle, which was witnessed by all during the years in which the Qur’an continued to be revealed, is one of the crystal clear evidences of the prophethood of Muhammad.

31 The literal meaning of the Arabic word Tabbat is “one that is dried, perished, demolished”. Consideration of the phrase “two hands” mentioned in the Ayah as “metonymic”, i.e. with the mention of two hands, the owner of these hand is actually referred, is of secondary importance.

The phrase two hands represents the two powers of Abu Lahab. Then, 3rd sentence of the respective division explains his two powers as “his wealth and that which he earned”. When it is considered that Abu Lahab was a wealthy man, “that which he earned” may be deducted to be his social circle, his organization, sons, servants and the militia he trained. We preferred the metaphorical meaning.

32 The literal meaning of the phrase originally mentioned in the Ayah is “when ten month pregnant she-camels are not cared about”. The “ten month pregnant she-camel” represents the best resources of income for the people of the time such as farms, factories, mines, inns, baths, etc.

33 The literal meaning of the phrase originally mentioned in the Ayah is “when wild beasts gather together”. This means that even wild beasts will gather like flocks of sheep or ewes by the severity of the day of judgment, therefore losing their own selves.

34 The literal meaning of the phrase originally mentioned in the Ayah is “when selves are paired”. According to the Surah Al-Waqi’ah/7 (Division 127), the pairing mentioned here is the pairing, gathering or summoning of people as “left, right and forerunners”.

35 The phrase iza’l-maw’udati suilat is usually translated as “when the girl who was buried alive is asked”. Which somewhat narrows down the meaning of the Ayah. The actual meaning of the phrase should be “girls, boys and adults who are deprived of their rights through pressure and torment; who are banned from education, working and other opportunities thus obliged to live a miserable and distressful life, being in agony all their lives”.

36 The “actual” meaning of the phrases originally mentioned in the Ayah is “Those who hide, flee to their homes, the night when it leads, the dawn when it breathes are evidences that”. We used the metaphorical meaning.

37 ‘Arsh means “the greatest, the highest position/throne”. It is mentioned in the Qur’an for 26 times. While four of them are mentioned for the servants, namely the throne of the Queen of Sheba in the Surah An-Naml and the throne of Yusuf (Joseph) in the Surah Yusuf (Joseph), other 21 mentions are used metaphorically for the Throne of Allah.

Attribution of the metaphorical meaning to Allah is the declaration of Him as the Owner of the Highest Rank, and the fact that there is no other governor higher than Him.

38 The word of the messenger is “the message of the Authority Who sent the messenger, which is conveyed by the messenger without adding, extracting or modifying”.

39 The original phrase in the Ayah is “this is not the word of Satan, the expelled”. The literal meaning of the word Sheitan [ Satan/Devil ] is “the one who is away from the truth”. As a conception, it is the common name used for “all those people, institutions and authority that act against reason and the truth”.

The Qur’an details who or what Satan may be, His properties and distinguishing features. According to the Qur’an, Satan is the people and authorities that A) impose/command to consume haram/forbidden and gain unjust income, B) induce us to commit evil, immorality and to say things against Allah that we do not know, C) threaten us with poverty, D) make us delusional, E) command us to change the creations of Allah, F) whisper us adorned words to deceive, G) provoke us with apprehensions, confuse us, H) spoil us with the deeds we do, I) transgress us, J) sow discord between humans with intoxicants/drugs and gambling, K) try to forbid us from remembering Allah and worshipping Him.

The phrases “Satan the Expelled”, “Satan the Stubborn” are used in the Qur’an for “Iblis”. “Iblis” means the “thinking ability of human”. The Qur’an describes Iblis as a power, an entity or an ability that is made of energy and that can not be seen, confuses people; produces notions, approaches people from around them; acts by influencing, can not act in absence of influence, only interacts with human in all living creatures, denies to submit to the man. This ability is mentioned in the Qur’an as personified. You can find detailed information thereof in “Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an]”.

40Tasbih/purification of the name: “Tasbih” of a name [keeping free from deficiencies and glorify] actually means the “Tasbih” of the owner of the name. Because glory and divinity of the owner of the name is expressed with the glory and divinity of the name itself. Therefore, purpose of the Tasbih of a name is to keep our Rabb devoid of names and attributions that do not fit Him and to clear the stains attributed to His name. During the era, when the Qur’an was revealed, wrong and absurd beliefs were common among Arabs such as: A) Angels are daughters of Allah, B) Uzair (Ezra) and Jesus are sons of Allah, C) Some angels and idols have the ability to bring one close to Allah, D) There is an ancestral relation between Allah and Jinn. Therefore, the purpose of the command, “Tasbih of the name”, is to remove and dispose such names and attributions that may reflect these beliefs from among the names and attributions of our Rabb immediately.

41 While the “actual” meaning of the phrase originally mentioned in the Ayah is “The night when it covers and wraps, the day when it shines and the one who created the male and the female are the evidences that your efforts and works are truly in pieces and scattered”, we recommended the metaphorical meaning.

42 While the literal meaning of the Ayat is “That dawn, ten nights, the couple and the single, that night when it goes away are the evidences that your Rabb definitely watches over”, we preferred the metaphorical meaning. The Ayah, which is the 14th Ayah of the Official Mushaf and have the meaning of “Indeed your Rabb watches over”, is the reply part of the Oath [Qaseem] Sentence. While it should be integrated to the Oath [Qaseem] Sentence technically and semantically, it was placed in an irrelevant position by the Mushaf Organization Committee.

43 The original meaning of the Ayah is “Is there a strong-convincing narration which makes believe in these for the one who has reason?”. These questions are named “istifham-i inkari” in the rhetoric. This structure adds the meaning of “Surely! Otherwise is impossible!”. Thus we preferred its literal form in our interpretation.

44 The phrase “the owner of stakes” is an ancient Bedouin idiom used in the Classical Arabic. Idiomatically, it was metaphorically means “a powerful authority” or “an invincible, indestructible power”. The number of stakes that support a Bedouin tent depended on the size of the tent. The size of the tent always correlated to the status and power of the owner. For this reason, a powerful patriarch was always described as “the owner of the tent that stands over countless stakes”.

45 The literal meaning of the phrase originally mentioned in the Ayah is “The morning and the night when it covers with darkness are the evidences”. We preferred its metaphorical meaning.

46 See Footnote No. 24

47The Companions of the Elephant, according to the Qur’an, is a people that was destroyed by Allah due to their malice plots. According to Arab and Islamic accounts, “the Companions of the Elephant” was the name given to the army that was commanded by Abrasa, the Yemen viceroy of Kingdom of Aksum of Abyssinia, and used an elephant brought from Abyssinia before themselves to boost their glory.

According to the historical accounts, Abrasa, who was the viceroy of Yemen for the Kingdom of Aksum of Abyssinia in the middle of the 6th Century, saw the respect shown by Arabs to the Kaaba and commissioned an ostentatious cathedral in the city of San, named “Al-Qullays” for religious, political and economic purposes, and invited Arabs to visit the cathedral with a notice. While this invitation failed to draw attention of Arabs, Abrasa’s cathedral was stained by an Arab for the purpose of insulting. Furious upon this, Abrasa drove his army to Mecca to demolish the Kaaba. This incident is named “the Incident of the Elephant” and the year the incident took place is named “the Year of the Elephant”. ‘‘Ashab-ı Fil/The Companions of the Elephant’’ means ‘‘a group of foolish people and idiots’’ according to its meanings in the dictionaries. However a rhetoric called ‘‘Tavriya’’ has been used here.

48 See Footnote No. 2

49 Since the terms Jinn and Ins mentioned first here in the Qur’an, we wish to provide a brief information thereof: In the folklore, Jinn is known as a creature which “like human, eats and drinks, reproduces, believes, is sometimes employed by wise humans as slaves, has extraordinary power and knowledge, possesses humans, does harm to those it pleases, is capable of making one a saint, is a secret supporting force that inspires divine values, is unseen”; therefore, the Qur’an is misunderstood. The term Jinn actually means “the covered creature; an entity or force which humans can not perceive with their sensory organs, but the very existence of which is absolute”. The antonym of this term is Ins [Insan], on the other hand, means “an entity that can be perceived with five senses, known, seen, familiar, capable of interaction, is never absent but permanently present”. The following terms which are familiar to us are derivatives of the term Jinn: Jannah [A place floor of which is hidden by foliage], Jinnah [Insanity, the one whose mind is hidden from himself], Janin [Fetus, -so named as it is hidden within the womb of its mother-], Junnah [a shield used in the war –so named as it cover and hides the individual from arrows and spears-].

We will see that the term Jinn is used in the Qur’an to mean “microorganisms, electricity, magnet, ray, radiation, agent/spy, stranger, unidentified person”. We will also see that the terms Jinn and Ins are used in the Qur’an together. When these antonyms are used together, meaning of words differentiates, morphs and gets richer.

Deriving a new word from two antonyms that have broader meanings is a method utilized by every language. For instance; when such antonyms as night and day, wet and dry, alive-dead, cats and dogs, morning and evening, the earth and the heavens/universe, good and bad, bitter and sweet, right and left, forward and backward, up and down, width and height, black and white, small and large, life and afterlife are used together idiomatically, the meaning of the newly formed phrase differentiates from the specific meaning of the individual terms and gets richer.

When used together as a phrase, the antonyms Ins and Jinn mean “seen-unseen, known-unknown, recognized-unrecognized, all and everything”. The Qur’an contains many examples thereof.

50Ilah, literal meaning of which is “to cover up oneself, hide, get used to and servitude, used, in general, as a common name for any object that is “worshipped, adored, idolized”. The reason to use Ilah in the meaning of “an entity that is worshipped” may be that this word is attributed to the meaning of “one that supplied the needs, one that rewards the good deeds, one that gives peace and comfort, sovereignty, one that rules and protects, one that spares in case of a disaster”.

Ilah is used in the Qur’an to mean “an entity, divine or falsehood, that is worshipped by people” and also “the true deity that is fit to be worshipped”.

51Samad has many different meanings and can not be translated using a single word. These meanings can be listed as follows: the master to turn to/ask for all needs, sublime; the one that is not hollow, the one that does not accept anything in, the one who requires nothing; the one who knows everything; lenient; the most honorable and most glorious; the one who creates all; the one who is asked/begged for what is desired; the one who is asked for help in case of distress; the one who does what he pleases, judges at his sole discretion while being not accountable or questionable for what he did; the only honorable person; wealthy/rich; the one who is dominant over his servants, the most supreme, the one who is not obliged to show respect to his minions, the one who is asked for all needs; the one who does not eat, drink, the one who feeds but is not fed, the one who will survive to eternity after all his creations die; the one who is eternal; the one who does not die, the one who has no successors; the one who does not sleep and is not woken up; the one who can not be defined with qualities of others; the one who has no deficiencies, faults, errors; the one who never involves in a trouble; the one who is the most exalted in quality and deeds; the one who always prevails and never fails; the one whom no one can meet personally, perceive the qualities and features; the one who can not be perceived by the eyes; the one who has a deficiency nor surplus.

If we have to summarize these qualities with a mathematical expression, the accurate phrase should be “the perfect and absolute entity existence of whom can not be calculated using a numerical system, from natural numbers to imaginary numbers”.

It is notable that a word with such a rich content is not used in the Qur’an for any deity before Allah.

52 The phrase istiva, which is mentioned in the original Ayah metaphorically means “he dominated, he ruled”. As can be seen in many Ayat, the expression “He dominated the Throne in the heavens/universe” means “He ruled the highest, the most glorious post, He took control”. This ambiguous concept is used in the Qur’an metaphorically. In the Official Mushaf, Istiva is also contained in the Surat Yunus/3, Ar-Ra’d/2, Al-Furqan/59, As-Sajdah/4, Ta-Ha/5, Al-A’raf/54, Al-Baqara/29. What is meant with the expression the one who dominates as mentioned in the Ayah is “Allah”. Because, “istiva” is one of the names of Allah but not of His angels or servants.

53A distance of bow, as mentioned in the Ayah, was a measurement unit used by the people at the time. As no international standard measurement units, such as “meter” was invented in that era, regional units and method were used. Like rumh [spear], sevt [scepter], ell, fathom, body length, isbi [finger], hatve [feet], shibr [handsbreadth], zirah [arm’s length] and arrow’s reach. Arrow’s length was a measurement unit used at the period. This approach to measurement was adopted in the Western World as well. For instance, “feet” that is based on the length of the human’s foot, “inch” that is based on the girth of the thumb at the root of the nail, etc. were the measurement units used in the ancient and medieval West. Therefore, Allah, the most glorious, used the measurement units that can be understood by the people He addressed.

54 The expression he One Who has mighty powers, Who is supreme in intelligence, Who has established the dominion is addressed to “Allah”. However, when interpreting these words only metaphorical meaning of them should be considered and it must be known that the expression does not qualify Allah but merely the reflection of His manifestation and potency. Then, it is in the Qur’an that Allah manifested Himself as “a fire at the mountain, on the tree”.

The original meaning of wahy [Revelation], as mentioned in the Ayah, is “to inform secretly”. In time, this meaning evolved to mean “to speak secretly, to indicate, to command, to inspire, to imply, to whisper, to write a letter, to send a messenger”.

The literary meaning of wahy is “Direct revelation of Allah’s instructions and judgments to His prophets by Himself rapidly and secretly without anyone or any instrument”. Wahy is synonym of ilqa.

We do not and will not know how revelations happen. Then, as with the creation out of nothing, Allah qualifies this process as “one of His acts; a process that no one can not and will not be able to fulfill”.

55 While Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat can be detailed structurally and semantically, we opt to avoid detailing these three feminine names but provide only encyclopedic information. The reason these words are feminine is that Arabs assumed that these were three angels and daughters of Allah. Al-Lat was an ornamented and covered white rock that was located in a building in Taif, protected by guards and serviced by caretakers. People of Taif [the Tribe of Thaqif] believed that Al-Lat was the second most important temple after the Kaaba and prided themselves against all tribes except Quraysh. Al-Uzza was a tree located in a building which itself is located in a place between Mecca and Taif, called Nahle. According to certain accounts it was a rock. This object, having been respected by the Quraysh Tribe, was covered. Today, covering of the Kaaba makes us to think that this is a tradition survived the Jahiliyyah Era [Ignorance; the Pre-Islamic era]. Manat was located in a place between Mecca and Medina, called Mushallal. This also was a rock [statue]. Khuza’a, Aus and Khazraj tribes worshipped this rock-statue and started their pilgrimage from this location and asked her for rain.

Polytheists swear by these idols, which they considered divine, named their children with such names as Abdullat [servant of Al-Lat], Abduluzza [servant of Al-Uzza], Abdulmanat [servant of Manat], etc.

Other than these, each tribe used to have their own idols and temples, which all had their own guards and caretakers. They sacrificed Korban [sacrificed animals or offerings] to these idols as they did for the Kaaba. The main reason for the iteration of the names of these three idols especially is that these were deities worshipped by many in the Hejaz region.

56Malaika and its singular form malak are homonyms. Both of these words might be derived from the root uluk which means “to send a messenger” or malk which means “strength, authority to rule”. Malak and malaika which are derived from uluk which means “to send a messenger” represent “the prophets, the ayat of revelations”. Malak and malaika which are derived from the root malk represent “all material powers and energy in the nature”. According to our findings, in the Qur’an both derivatives are used and represent the meaning in accordance with their respective roots. That is, malaika is sometimes used in its primary meaning and other times in its secondary meaning. The actual meaning used in the Qur’an is determined according to the context of the passage it is used in.

Detailed explanation on the word malak can be found in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

57 Shafaat is defined as “to add something to a similar thing and support it, to make something double and spare it”. The word evolved to mean “someone in a higher position to help, protect a poor or someone in need, have her/him be protected, accompany and support her/him”.

The literal meaning of the word, on the other hand, is “to ask an authority to forgive another individual, to ask somebody to help to another person, to ask somebody to stop acting against another individual, to pray and ask for help on behalf of others, to pray and prostrate before an authority to ask for help or favor”.

Ultimately, Shafaat means “to mediate, to help and to pioneer”. Shafaat may be in the world and in the Akhirat [Afterlife]. On the earth, shafaat may be from Allah, from angels, from prophets or from other people. In the Akhirat [Afterlife], on the other hand, shafaat only comes from Allah.

Shafaat is widely accepted to mean that “the Prophet would mediate between Allah and his people to ask Allah to forgive their sins; that the Prophet would support and use his authority to save his people”. i.e. “the Prophet would influence Allah’s will”, which severely contradicts with the message of the Qur’an.

58 See Footnote No. 24

59 See Footnote No.56

60 The literal meaning of ruh, as mentioned in the ayah, is “soul”. This term may express “wujuh” i.e. it may be used in its literal as well as metaphorical form. Encyclopedically, ruh [soul] is defined as the “non-material aspect or essence of the existence”. In compliance with the literal and encyclopedic meanings, which we mentioned above, ruh [soul] is accepted to be synonym with “spiritual self” and “life”. Meaning “vitality, emotion” and “life” in general, ruh [soul] has a metaphorical meaning that represents the “essence, the most important and vital part of an object”. For instance, the adjective “soulless [lit. without a soul]”, which we use for passive individuals, constitutes an example for the general meaning of the word while a phrase such as “this is the soul of the issue” can be given as an example for the metaphorical meaning of the word. In conclusion, hundreds of idioms have been derived from the abovementioned meanings of the word ruh [soul].

The traditional religious meaning of ruh [soul] can be defined as the “vitality blown into the body of human by Allah after having created its material shell”.

In the Qur’an, ruh [soul] is used in the meaning of “divine breeze, wahy/knowledge”, thus has no correlation with the traditional meaning of the word. The ruh [the divine breeze/wahy], as mentioned in the Qur’an, is “anything that owns and adapts the soul consciously and voluntarily to its life; that gives individuals and communities a meaningful vitality; and that protects them from corruption”.

61 Here, according to the structure of the sentence, Salam means “happiness, salvation, prosperity”.

62 The “actual” meaning of the phrases in the Ayah is as follows: “The sun and its brightness, and the moon as it follows, the day as it brightens it, the night as it enshrouds it, the heavens/universe and the One who created it, the earth and the One who formed it round, the will and the One who controls it; -that He inspired him his fujur and taqwa- are the evidences…”. In our interpretation, we preferred their metaphorical meanings.

63 Here, “social relief and support institutions” are described as the [she]camel of Allah; and striving to maintain these institutions is, on the other hand, described as the “watering of the [she]camel”. Cutting of the shins of the [she]camel, on the other hand, actually means the depletion of such resources as zaqah, taxes, fees, etc. that helps maintaining these institutions. While the Qur’an provides any provision related to the former people in a symbolic manner, this matter is made into principle for its direct audience using the following statements: “Salah, establishment of Salah and giving of zaqah”.

64 The meaning of the Ayat group according to the “actual” meaning of the phrases they contain is as follows: “The heavens/universe that possesses many constellations, the promised day, those who witness and those who are being witnessed are the evidences that the seizure of your Rabb is truly severe”. In our interpretation we preferred the metaphorical meaning.

65 See Footnote No. 37

66 The order of Ayat of this Surah in the Official Mushaf is erroneous technically and semantically. We rearranged it within the frame of grammar and semantics.

67 While the “actual” meaning of the phrases in the Ayah is “Figs, olives, the Fertile Mountain and this Safe Region are the evidences”, we used their metaphorical meanings. The regions mentioned in the Surah were known to Arabs lived in the time of the Qur’an but the phrase actually meant the whole world.

68This house means the “Baitullah” [House of Allah], i.e. the Kaaba. Alah used the expression “My house” for the Kaaba in the Qur’an. While House of Allah means “a house that belongs no one but Allah” thus implying that it is a public property. That, in turn, means that it is the right place to discuss social matters, to find a solution for public needs, to decide on such public matters as education, justice, execution, etc.

Rabb of This House: As we already explained in the 2nd note hereabove, the term Rabb means “one who disciplines and educates, one who guides his creations to a certain target/targets within the frame of a schedule, one who programs and manages the development”. Accordingly, attribution of Rabb to the house by the expression Rabb of This House implies that the construction of Kaaba and all its functions were programmed and implemented by Allah. Truly, it is the first house ever built on the earth in the name of Allah, and it is fruitful and fertile.

People of the Quraysh Tribe used to share the services provided to all people visiting the Kaaba for hajj [pilgrimage] and umrah [ordinary visit]. Each family had its own duty. Many services as guarding and maintaining the Kaaba, providing water to pilgrims, helping and supporting pilgrims, collecting contributions for pilgrims, catering, establishing justice between pilgrims, etc. were performed by the Quraysh. This divine tourism provided the Quraysh not only with a hard-to-reach advantage and prestige but also very high revenues. However, this pleasurable life enjoyed by the Quraysh in Mecca was not a result of their efforts but of the plans established by Allah for the Kaaba. Accordingly, this plan of Allah for the Kaaba still operates today and the divine tourism supports the Saudi Arabian nation.

69 See Footnote No. 24

70Qariah means “things that bash, push hard; disasters that shock people”. People will be shocked upon such unexpected events as rupturing of the heavens/universe, extinguishing of the sun and the moon, blurring of the stars, moving of the mountains, boiling of the seas, i.e. scrambling of all things and will clash each other while scattering around without control. On that day, no one will be able to turn back or escape.

For this very reason, the day of judgment [Qiyamah] is named Al-Qariah which means the “knocking of the greatest disaster”.

71 Here defined is the moment of death “wafat”. Wafat means “submitting completely, fulfill without any missing part”. Wafat is the process that Allah will make each and every person to experience moments before their death, during which everyone will be shown and informed on all his deeds, whether done or omitted, completely without any missing parts. In other words, wafat is the reporting of all records of an individual’s life by Allah, like a “z-report”, in every detail moments before the death of the respective individual. This “disclosure” is performed by means of “guards, memories, messengers, memory cells” which are integrated into the very nature of all humans. Due to the importance of this matter, our Rabb does not call it “death, killing” but the names of tuses those mysterious events the occur before the death. Detailed information on the “Wafat” can be found in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

72 Actual meaning of the words contained in the Ayat is as follows: “Those who were sent in masses, in groups, and in flocks – therefore those who bend and overwhelm -, those who revived and animated – therefore those who separate and split -, and those who left a reminder whether as an excuse or to warn are the evidences that what you have been threatened for will certainly occur”. In our interpretation, we used its metaphorical meaning.

73 See Footnote No. 8

74 While the 22nd Ayah of the Official Mushaf is a Oath [Qaseem] Sentence, contrary to the Tartil and Arabian nature of the Qur’an, it is not properly placed. We placed the Ayah where it belongs thus reclaiming its meaning.

75 See Footnote No. 87

76 See Footnote No. 43

77 The Promise mentioned herein is a principle set forth by our Rabb for the “filling of Jahannah [Hell] with the ins and the jinn [everyone]” as mentioned under the Surat Sad/84-85 and As-Sajda/5. This decision of our Rabb is mentioned in the Qur’an as al-qawl or kalimatu’l rabbiq.

78 Meaning of the actual definition of the phrases contained in the Ayah and the Oath [Qaseem] Sentence Is as follows: No! This region – which you enter – and the father and the newborn are the evidences that We surely formed man into trouble (Al-Balad/1-4). In our interpretation, we used the metaphorical meaning of the phrase.

79 The actual meaning of the phrases mentioned in the Ayah is “The heavens and the Tariq [the Night Star] are the evidences that – and what made you know what Tariq is? (It) is the star that penetrates. – no self is without a guard [surely every man has guards over him]”, however in our interpretation, we used the metaphorical meaning.

The guards mentioned in the Ayah are such bodily functions as the “immune system, endocrinal system and mental functions as focusing and vigilance”.

80 The actual meaning of the phrases mentioned in the Ayah is “The heavens/universe that returns and the earth that cracks open are the evidences that, surely it is a distinguishing decision. And it is not a joke”. In our interpretation, we used the metaphorical meaning.

81 Allah sets traps for no one. Mushakala, the “figure of speech” used here, is widely used in other languages as well. Mushakala can be defined as the “using a word to substitute its antonym” or “reiterate a word of another person other than its intended meaning”. For instance, the second ignorantly in the threatening Arabic phrase “Do not act ignorantly against us or we will act ignorantly against you!” actually means “or we will punish you; we will act harshly”. English has such examples as well. For instance, the second “sad” in the Turkish phrase “do not make me sad or I will make you sad” actually means “to punish”. As can be seen in the above examples, the act [offence] and the reaction [punishment] are defined with the very same word. The Qur’an contains many Ayat that may be given as example thereof: Ash-Shu’ara/40; Al-Hashr/19; Al-Imran/54; Al-Sajda/14; An-Nisa/142; An-Naml/50; Ta-Ha/126; Al-Jathiyah/34; Al-Baqara/14-15, 194; At-Tawbah/79; Ar-R’ad/42; An-Naml/50; Ibrahim/46; Al-Anfal/30.

Accordingly, in the Ayah, in which it is stated that Allah set traps, it is actually meant to say that Allah will punish those who set traps, mu’minun [believers] will be warned thereof by the warnings contained in this Ayah and traps and plots of polytheists will fail thanks to the precaution Allah induces herein. Then, this is what exactly happened; the light that polytheists made their best efforts to prevent has spread all over the world.

82 The “actual” meaning of the phrases mentioned in the Ayah is “the Moon has/will be split”. We preferred the metaphorical meaning.

83 The term naqa, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, means “a she-camel in its most productive age”. What actually meant here is the “social relief institutions”. It is identical with the Qur’anic term Salah. What actually meant with the phrase its allocated water is the “zaqah and aids that sustain the social support institutions”. And the phrase killed by cutting its shins means that “they failed to provide giving zaqah; fees, taxes and the aid they should have, thus precluding the existence of these institutions”. In our interpretation, we used the metaphorical meaning.

84 See Footnote No. 8

85 By their technical structure, the Ayat are reorganized in our interpretation in 1, 3, 2 form.

86 See Footnote No. 44

87 The Companions of the Thicket [Ashab Al-Ayka] were “a people lived in Median, an ancient city located in the coastal region of the Red Sea”. “Ayka” means “a thicket, a jungle with tangled, intertwining branches”. This community used to live in a region that had an extremely pleasurable climate and was fertile.

88 The paragraph that consists of the 27th and 29th Ayat of the Official Mushaf is relocated between the Ayat 48 and 49 in accordance with their contextual integrity.

89 Theactual meaning of Malah, as mentioned in the Ayah, is “a full [warehouse]”. However, it has evolved in time to metaphorically mean “leaders/rulers, seniors of a community, intellectuals of a community”. These people are called malah As they are full of knowledge and understanding. Starting from the metaphorical meaning of malah, whichis “leaders, seniors [committee]” and due to the existence of the adjective a’la [supreme], mentioned in the phrase al-malahi’l a’la, former interpreters of the Qur’an concluded that the phrase meant “the supreme committee”. However, since there is no solid evidence as to the actual definition of this supreme committee, they suggested such unsupported theories as these are “angels in the heavens/universe” or “qerrubiyyun/muqarrabin [the angles that are closest to Allah]”. Moreover, demons [shayatin] were considered to have ascended to the heavens to heed the conversations of the archangels [the supreme committee] and to have been bombarded there by the stars.

In our opinion, on the other hand, what actually meant with the phrase malah-i a’la, the literal meaning of which is “full to the brim, the supreme warehouse”, is the “wahy [revelation], the Ayat of the Qur’an”. The reason for this is that the Qur’an is full of everything needed by all people; it contains all the knowledge that is/will be needed by all people. The content of the Qur’an is not trivial but the most valuable and supreme. When the 69th Ayah is comprehended fully, it becomes obvious that what meant with the phrase malah-i a’la is “the Qur’an” itself. Accordingly, the object that is stated to have been revealed in the 70th Ayah and mentioned in the 68th Ayah, from which the infidels “turn away”, is the Qur’an. As we see in the Surat we have analyzed so far and what we will always see, polytheists have always been disputing over the Qur’an. This matter is detailed in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

The phrase malah-i a’la is also mentioned in the Surah As-Saffat/8 and used in the meaning of “the supreme warehouse” and attributed to the Qur’an as one of its properties.

90 See Footnote No 56

91Blowing of the soul in implies the meaning that “Allah informs the man, sends revelations, provides little information; gives information by the pinch”. The Surat Al-Hijr/29 and As-Sajda/9 deal with the information of the created man; the reception of the first revelation; sending the first messenger. Detailed information thereof can be found in Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

92 See Footnote No.39

93 Earth represents the substance while fire represents the energy. Detailed information thereof can be found in Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

94 See Footnote No.8

95 See Footnote No.56

96 As can clearly be seen in the Surat Sad/72, Al-Hijr/29, As-Sajda/9, Al-Baqara/31 of the Official Mushaf, the term Adam, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, represents the “first man who was informed, received the first revelation, the first messenger”. The revelations [wahy] sent down to Adam are clearly explained in this division and in the Surah Al-Baqara/37-39 (division 403).

97 See Footnote No.39

98Shajar [intricate, source of dispute] and waraq al-jannah [leaves of lush gardens/paradise], as mentioned in the passage, mean “wealth and fortune”. For details, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

As shown by the actual meaning of the phrases and words mentioned in the Ayat that contain the story, Allah banned Adam and his wife from being fond of wealth as He wanted the man free from the passion for wealth, but Iblis, on the other hand, allured Adam and his wife with wealth.

As you can see, statements mentioned in the Ayah truly reflect the facts of life. Indulging of Adam and his wife to the blessing as of the moment they tasted them, clinging to those blessing that they bonded with passion are attitudes that can still be seen today. There are many of those who possess or desire to possess any and all ornaments of the temporary worldly life; those who have become an ornament hoarder by virtually sticking all these ornaments onto themselves. Therefore, words of our Rabb should not be considered a story and one should know that, the abominable human behavior that manifest itself by the “expression of the immorality inspired to him by the influence of Iblis” goes back to Adam and his wife.

99 While the narration of the passage is figurative, our Rabb narrated the material and spiritual nature and weaknesses of the human like the stage of a theater. This incident never happened in the past. It takes place in the life of every person.

100Masjid is the mim infinite of the verb sajada, yasjudu [name of a place] and represents the place where “one submits/is made to submit”, which has no correlation with the sajda [prostration] performed during the prayer today. This means; “the place where those who think divergently, act divergently are subdued and convinced to submit toward the truth, where they submit”; i.e. “a place of education and persuasion”.

101Ashab al-A’raf are “those who have knowledge on the Qur’an, and who know the divisions of the Qur’an even a few”.

With the knowledge they possess, these people can predict who will be sent to Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and who will be sent to Jahannah [Hell]. In our opinion, those who learned at least ten divisions of the Qur’an can distinguish between those who will be sent to Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and who will be sent to Jahannah [Hell], without a need for further social knowledge or education just by observing the lifestyles of individuals.

102 Pursuant to the technical rules and semantics, 46th and 49th Ayat have been relocated after the Ayat 50 and 51.

103 See Footnotes No. 37 and 52

104 See Footnote No. 22

105Namaz [prayer] was first borrowed from Hindi into Persian, and from Persian into Turkish in the era of the Great Seljuq Empire. The original meaning as used in Persian was “to prostrate before the fire”. It is possibly the Persian past form of the Sanskrit word Namaste, which means “to feel/show respect to”. This word itself should have been derived from the root nam, which means “to greet/salute”. As can be observed in the modern Indian culture, both nam [greeting] and Namaste [to feel/show respect to] represent an action performed by bowing. Definition of the Persian word namaz as “to pray being bowed with respect” is expressed in Arabic by the phrase; “ad-dua’u bi’t-tazarru” [to invoke, lowering oneself continuously].

Tadharru’an, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, is a word that is derived from the Arabic trilateral root d-r-a. The meaning of the root is “lowering oneself and modesty”. Tadharru’an, on the other hand,means “lowering oneself continuously” by its structure and by the context of being “case/conditional” aspect. As can be clearly understood from the Ayah, this service does not have a form that may be institutionalized. The believer makes lowering of himself to his Rabb as he wishes. Namaz imposes no such prerequisites as performing rakah [prescribed movements], facing the qibla, performing wudu [cleaning procedure performed before the prayer], enshrouding, reciting of certain Ayat and prayers, etc. These were invented and added later. In brief, namaz is the “supplication of the heart and the form to Allah”.

Hufyeten, as mentioned in the original Ayah, which is in the second “case” position, is a word that is derived from the trilateral root h-f-v. That is, it represents the two contradicting meanings and means “showing clearly, shining brilliantly” and also “hiding”. Therefore, the Ayah should sport both meanings and serve this function in both cases.

106 See Footnotes No. 63 and 83.

107 According to the classical accounts, the exact meaning of asa is “accumulation; something held tight”. In this form it defines “the Qur’an” exactly. It is uses as the specific name for “the scepter” not only because “the hand and the fingers are gathered on it” but it “accumulates (embodies) in itself many benefits such as being a support to lean upon, a tool to shake leaves, a weapon, a shovel, etc”.

When this word is attributed to Moses, it means “knowledge of Moses; something that Moses held tightly/firmly”, which – as can be understood from the respective Ayah – represents the “revelations sent to Moses and his empirical know-how”. The scepter of Moses is defined very explicitly. When the Surat Al-Baraqa/63, 93; Al-A’raf/145, 171; Maryam/12 are examined, it can be found that “the object that is held tightly” is “the Scripture/the Divine Wahy”. Furthermore, as can be seen in the division 181, our Rabb stated in the Surah Yunus: “And when the scholars who speak influential words came, Moses said to them: “Throw whatever you will throw!”. And when they threw Moses said, “That which you have brought is an illusion/a deception. Surely, Allah will disclose that it is fake and useless. No doubt that Allah does not amend the works of corrupters. And Allah establishes the truth by His words and implements it even though sinners do not like”.” thus implying that the magicians were defeated not by the scepter but by the “words of Allah”.

Asa [scepter] appears 6 times in the Qur’an. Asa in the Surah Ta-Ha/18 is “the shepherd’s staff”, i.e. a common “scepter”. Our Rabb made Moses leave his scepter during the first revelation. Others, on the other hand, stand for the “empirical know-how of Moses and also the knowledge he learned from the revelations”. The asa that Moses used against Pharaoh, to cross the sea and to chastise the stonyhearted Israelites is actually the “knowledge of Moses” [What was revealed to him and what he had learned and experienced to that time].

108Sub’an is derived from the word seab, meaning of which is “flux of water and blood”. Meandering course of the gullies in the valley, curly hair of the beloved one are defined by the poet by using this word. Plural of this word is Sub’an. In its singular form, Sub’an means “a long and strong, rat-hunting snake”.

That means, the literal meaning of sub’an is “a flood that wipes all that is before it”. The reason for the use of this word to name a snake that hunts rats is that snakes do look like meandering rivers by its long and curly form and they devour any rat they come upon. The reason to make an analogy for the knowledge of Moses is that the divine wahy [revelation] will eventually devour and eliminate all plans and plots of the men/the falsehood.

109Yad-i Baiza: Yad is generally translated as “a hand” but it metaphorically means “power, wealth, authority, reign, blessing, bow, all works performed by hand”.

The power mentioned here is defined as “the strength in his pocket/bosom” in other Ayat and in the Official Mushaf: AnNaml/12, Al-Qasas/32; and this strength is Aaron.

Following information on the word Baiza can be found in widely available vocabulary books: “The original meaning of this word is an egg. Bayaz means “white as an egg”. The bayzae form of this word expresses “excessive whiteness, brightness”. The sun, a woman with a smooth, white complexion, the bare soil with no plants on it, 14th and 15th nights of the Lunar Months are all named baiza. The phrase Yad-i Baiza represents “anything that is proven; an evidence”. According to these explanations, this word can be used as an adjective that means “snow white” which, in turn, is the expression of perfection and flawlessness.

The white [flawless] look of the “power” as mentioned in the Ayat stems from the excellent talent of Aaron in expression and rhetoric. As it is understood from the Ayat, Moses was not good at expressing himself due to his lack of knowledge in Hebrew or an anomaly on his tongue. This defect of Moses was compensated by appointing his brother, Aaron, as his vizier, secretary, spokesman. This matter is related explicitly in the respective passage of the Surah Ta-Ha.

110Sihr [Magic] means “to manipulate the perception to show something in other forms than what it actually is by means of illusion and hand tricks or by other means”, however, it does not always involve “illusion”. A good rhetorical expression or conference may also be expressed with the words; “we are mesmerized (cast under sihr)”. Therefore, we defined seherbaz as “fascinating; an influential scholar”.

111Yamm, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, means “bahr[sea]/large body of water”. Leys defined this word as “a sea, depth and limits of which are unknown”. However, this suggestion can not be true as in the Surah Ta-Ha/39 of the Qur’an, it is explicitly stated that the chest that carried Moses stranded on the yamm. Then, Moses was set into the Nile and the chest that carried Moses stranded to the coastline of the Nile.

This word is believed to have been borrowed into Arabic from Assyrian.

Furthermore, it is worth thinking that this word that is mentioned in the Holy Scripture has been translated into English as either “the Red Sea” or “the Reed Sea”.

When the places where Moses and his family and also Pharaoh lived are considered, the words bahr and yam should be translated as “large body of water/the river” when they appear in the passages that are related to Moses. When these Ayat are examined, it can be seen that Pharaoh certainly drowned in the same waters, in which the baby Moses was put, but not in a sea/the Red Sea.

112Good promise that is mentioned in the Ayah can be found in the Official Mushaf; in the Surat Al-Qasas/5-6, Al-Ma’idah/21 and Ad-Dukhan/25-28.

113Bahr means “large body of water, whether fresh- or saltwater”. This word is the antonym of “land”. The original meaning of this word is “to split”. This is because the water splits the land. In the ancient Arabic poetry, the Euphrates was named as a bahr. It is common to define large saltwater bodies [seas] as bahr. (Lisan, entry “bhr”; Tac, entry “bhr”)

Again, when the places where Moses and his family and also Pharaoh lived are considered, it is obvious that what meant with bahr is the Nile.

The word Bahr appears in the Official Mushaf; in those Surat that are related to Moses: Al-Baqara/50, Al-A’raf/138, Yunus/90, Ta-Ha/77, Ash-Shu’ara/63 and Ad-Dukhan/24.

114 In this passage, what actually the asa of Moses is explicitly explained. As you remember, in the 85th footnote, we stated that the reason to name a “scepter” the asa is that “the fingers and the hand gather on it; it is held tightly”. Here, that which is held tightly is expatiated. Moreover, in the Official Mushaf; in the Surat Al-Baqara/63, 93; Al-A’raf/145, 171; Maryam/12; it is stated that the “object that is to be held firmly is the Book/the Divine Wahy”.

115 The “actual” meaning of the phrase, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, is “they adopted a calf; a corpse that bellowed [that had an attractive, alluring voice]”. In our interpretation, we used the metaphorical meaning. The actual matter that is dealt here is that the Israelites were allured to the gold and took it as their idol. We will see this matter in the Surat Ta-Ha and Al-Baqara as well. For detailed information thereof, please see Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

116 While having been appeared in the Surah Muzzammil/20 (division 13), here is where the word zaqah chronologically appears for the first time. Therefore, we wish to provide a brief information on zaqah. Zaqah means “cleanliness, reproduction, proliferate, abundance and praise”. In the Qur’an, the verb form of this word is used in all these meanings. The form Az-Zaqah is used as a name for the purification of a commodity; delivery of a commodity after all rights that belong the poor, the deprived and the public are deducted. That is, it is “the tax paid by all believers as their debt of faith and servitude to sustain their nation, to furnish the Salah”. We simply call it “tax”. However, this is not a tax as we know it, but it is a tax that is determined and spent within the Islamic frame. According to the Qur’an, the proper time to pay the “tax” is the very moment when the revenue is received. The amount and ratio of it is not specified in the Qur’an but is left to the public authority. The public authority determines the ratio required to establish a balanced budget.

117 We have learned in the Ayat above that asa is the “knowledge of Moses”. Now, let us deal with what the “stone” that Moses hits with his knowledge [asa] actually is. As may be known, “stone” is the symbol of hardness/strictness. Our Rabb revealed that the Israelites were stonyhearted, even stricter. Therefore, what meant with the stone is “the stonyhearted Israelites”. This matter is mentioned in the Official Mushaf; in the Surah Al-Baqara/74.

118 The “actual” meaning of darb is “to built something upon something else”. Starting from this “actual” meaning, this word is used in various meanings such as “to hit, to clash, to split, to squeeze, to set off, heartbeat, pulse, to exemplify, etc.”. Within the scope of Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an], we detailed it in the analysis of the section that is related to Ayyub [Job]. The word means, as used herein, “to build something upon something else”.

119 The term ayn, as mentioned in this Ayah, was defined in ancient lexicons in more than hundred meanings such as “sight, eye, sun, spring, rain, commodity, gold, human, life, community, people of a region…”. For whatever reason, the word ayn has always been translated as “the spring”. Yet, it should have been translated as “community, the people of the region” for the passage “Moses”. Then, when He wishes this term to be understood this way, our Rabb stated at the beginning of each respective Ayah as “And We divided them into twelve tribes who are led by grandsons”.

You can see it in the Surah Al-Ma’idah:12.

Division of Israelites into twelve groups/tribes and assigning of a governor for each of them is also mentioned in the Holy Bible; Numbers 1:1-16. This means, the Qur’an acknowledges this part of the Holy Bible.

The phrase, “Implement118 your knowledge upon your stonyhearted people”, which is mentioned in these Ayat, must be emphasized as well. As can be understood from the lines mentioned in those Ayat; “And when his people asked him for water, Each of those people learned well/marked where they receive water, then Moses had once asked for water for his people”, people of Moses suffered water shortage that would eventually cause disputes among them. At the time, our Rabb revealed to Moses to use his knowledge/experience.

Moses had learnt what water shortage might cost by the Midian water when he escaped Egypt and went to Midian. He had experiences thereof. This matter is detailed in the Official Mushaf: Surah Al-Qasas/23-25 (Division 150).

All these mean that Moses divided Israelites into twelve tribes to live in twelve different locations due to the fact that a communal life would eventually cause problems among his people. And thus solved the water shortage problem. As it is known, settlements are founded by or on seaside or riverside.

120 The terms hut, hitan, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, are perceived as “fish” in the classical view. Since fish have no sense of satiation and eat themselves to death, they are called hut. Here, hut means “distress caused by insatiability”. For detailed information please see Tebyünu’l-Kur’an.

121 Instructive and statement phrases mentioned in the Qur’an that are related to the fulfillment of Salah have usually been translated as “perform your prayers straight; they perform their prayers straight”. Our analysis on the semantic structure of the words, however, shows that these translations fall short or even are wrong at all in terms of conveying the actual meaning of the phrase.

Iqam, which consists of the trilateral root of q-v-m, is the infinitive form of qiyam, which itself is the antonym of the verb “sit”, and this term is usually defined in available dictionaries as “to stand someone up, erect, keep something upright”.

Accordingly, the phrase iqami’s-salah means; “to overcome problems, to carry out business and maintain this status, i.e. sustain and institutionalize the works through spiritual and financial support and assistance”. If we have to explain it in a materialized manner, the phrase iqami’s-salah means; A) in its spiritual/mental aspect, to establish and maintain education institutions, schools, communal training courses; B) in its financial aspect, to create new business fields, to establish such social security systems as Retirement Plans, Self-Employment Social Security System, etc, to support the poor and orphans – including fulfillment of matrimonial procedures of singles and widows/widowers -, to assume their problems, to establish, maintain and sustain public institutions to solve their problems. This matter is detailed in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

122 See Footnote No. 333

123 When the Messenger of Allah was conveying the messages that had been revealed to him, Yathribians (Medinans) became aware of this and sent a committee to secretly meet the Messenger of Allah in Mecca and he recited the Qur’an for them. In the preamble of the Surah mentioned was the secret meeting and its consequences. This incident was the Pledges at Aqabah, which was a milestone in the history of Islam. The group of jinn, as mentioned in the Ayah, has no correlation with the folkloric view on the jinn. Detailed definition of the term Jinn is given in the Footnote 49 above.

124 As can be understood fromthe expressions given in this Ayah, there was a secret organization that allegedly used to encourage people who lived in the region the organization originated to receive education and thus enlighten themselves. Here, those foreigners who were recited the Qur’an and realized the truth criticize themselves and state that before they know about the Qur’an they have been distracted and deceived by the nonsensical inculcations of that organization. Because, narrating jinn states that they used to deal with astrology, pin their hopes upon the information they expected to get from the stars, sit in observatories for this purpose but they saw that the sky is full of stars and meteors so they could not receive the information they sought after and consequently they failed to know what future will bring for them. The information deciphered from this paragraph, the secret organization, origins of which is attributed to David and Solomon, and the information submitted are all “initiation/rite of passage/” of them.

125 See Footnote No. 100

126 See Footnote No. 8

127 See Footnote No. 77

128 See Footnote No. 27

129 See Footnote No. 77

130 In this Ayah, the furqan [criterion] nature of the Qur’an is emphasized. As we previously explained in the Surah Al-Mursalat, being one of the names of the Qur’an, furqan is derived from the term farq, which means “to separate two things apart”, and means the same as the word fariqa. When its commonly used meanings are examined, it can be found that the words derived from the term farq; tafriq, firaq, firqat, firqah, fariq; are used for concrete concepts [perceptible]; while the terms; fariqat, faruq and furqan are used for abstract concepts.

Since the term furqan that is said to be given to Moses in the Official Mushaf: Surah Al-Baqara/53 and Al-Anbiya’/48 separates the abstract concepts truth and falsehood, faith and disbelief, beauty and ugliness, good and bad, it is also used as a name of the Qur’an.

131 See Footnote No. 37, 52

132 ANGELS: As we stated earlier, meaning of the term malak varies depending on the root used. The terms malak and the plural malaika are derived either from uluk or malk. Accordingly, malaika can mean either “the messenger” or “power to rule”. Determination of the exact meaning of any instance of this word is performed in accordance with the context of the respective passage it is used in.

TWO, THREE, FOUR WINGED: According to the belief widely adopted by the Arabs of the era of the ignorance, angles were believed to be daughters and assistants of Allah and were winged creatures, who were responsible for natural events such as wind, rain, earthquakes, etc. These beliefs of the era of the ignorance have been partially integrated into the hadith and it was alleged that our Prophet said that Gabriel [Jibril] had 600 wings. Furthermore, such exaggerations were embellished with such fantasies as Raphael [Israfil] had 12.000 wings, each of which spanning from the east to the west, and carried the Throne of Allah on his wings. Especially in Ka’ab Al-Ahbar’s hadith, number of angels’ wings exceed millions.

We, however, think that the word wing is used here to metaphorically mean “power”. That is; here wings are used like the term HP (Horse Power) use in physics as a unit of power. Multitude of wings of malaika represents the level of their power. Accordingly, wings of angles express; A) the “severity of natural disasters such as rain, wind, flood, etc.” when the term malak is used in the meaning of “power to rule”; B) “effects of the ambiguous Ayat of the Qur’an on the mankind” when the term malak is used in the meaning of “the messenger”. Upon the abovementioned descriptions, Ayat can be interpreted in two different manners in accordance with the various meanings of the words: A) Blessed is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth from nothing, rendered His Ayat as messengers with two, three, four meanings. He increases as He will in the creation. Surely, Allah is the Omnipotent. B) Blessed is Allah Who rendered natural forces as messengers that would split and crack open the heavens/universe and the earth in various severity levels. He increases as He will in the creation. Surely, Allah is the Omnipotent.

Our interpretation about the angels being two, three, four winged messengers is that ambiguous Ayat of the Qur’an which mention about descended messengers are meant to provide multiple meanings. The reason that leads us to adopt this view is the clue that we get from the terms rahmat [mercy] and hakim [judge/dominant] mentioned in the 2nd Ayah.

The phrase mentioned at the conclusion of the Ayah, “Allah increases…” means the limitless potency of Allah and He can create what He wishes and His creation is endless”.

133 See Footnote No. 8

134 See Footnote No. 60

135 Certain passages of the Ayat contained in the Official Mushaf, which relate about Jesus, are arranged erroneously either due to carelessness or intentionally. As a consequence of this arrangement, Jesus has become a non-human-superhuman entity; he was depicted as if he spoke while he was still in cradle, levitated to the heavens and the belief that he would descend from the heavens was established.

All these are the consequence of reassignment of sentences contained in the passage and the difference in the interpretation created this way.

Since, in the original form of the Ayah, the pronoun used for the person, to whom Mary points, is “him”, it is generally accepted that the “he” is “the baby Mary holds”. In our opinion, on the other hand, “he” must be Zachariah, who was present at the meeting, knew everything about Mary, instructed Mary when she was giving childbirth and he was the one “who was below her” as mentioned in 24th-26th Ayat. Moreover, this is the actual meaning of the phrase contained in the Surah Ali-Imran/37, “He made Zechariah a guarantor to her [Mary]”.

Also we have made our interpretation, considering it as the adjective form of the phrase “Jesus, son of Mary” that is mentioned in the 34th Ayah of the Ayat that include words of Jesus, starting from the recitation of the word mehd as mühd; and the term nukellimu as yukellimu; and the lack of “fa-i taqibiyyah” at the beginning of the 30th Ayah. See Tabyinu’l Kur’an for further information.

136 See Footnote No. 204

137 98th Ayat has been replaced after 95th Ayat of the Official Mushaf pursuant to semantic aspects.

138 See Footnote No. 8

139 The “actual” meaning of the phrases mentioned in the Ayah is “Rahman ascended upon the Throne [dominate]”. In our interpretation, we used its metaphorical meaning. For detailed explanation on phrases, you may see footnotes 34 and 47.

140 The Moses phenomenon that is detailed in other Surat is only summarized in Ta-Ha/9-99 (division: 120). It should not be assumed that what mentioned in this Surah happened at once. What mentioned here does not follow a chronology either.

141 Literal meaning of the phrases, as originally mentioned in the Ayah, is “remove two horseshoes”. However, what actually meant here is “leave your relatives and belongings here”. Therefore, in our interpretation, we gave the actual meaning of the phrase.

142 In this paragraph, duties assigned to Moses during his prophethood are summarized. The phrases; “And I have chosen you; then heed that which will be revealed to you; heed the 14warning of “14Surely, I am Allah Himself. There is no deity except Me. Then worship me and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] to remember me. 15Indeed, that hour/the Qiyamat [Resurrection] will come. I will almost conceal it so that everyone may be recompensed for his work.” is the expansion of the phrase “what is to be revealed”.

143 Arrangement of the Ayat that are in the preamble of Moses passage in the Official Mushaf is erroneous. For that reason, 24th Ayah has been rearranged as the continuation of the 19th Ayah. And the following paragraph is reorganized as follows: “20, 25-36, 21-23”.

144 The word Hayyah is one of the terms that have critical importance in the proper comprehension of the Moses passage. Therefore, we wish to provide details on this word: Derived from the word Hayat, hayyah means “to live once”. Arabs use this word with many examples: snake is called hayyah due to its long lifespan. Anyone who happens to have sharp sight is called “he sees better than hayyah”. Anyone who is malevolent-insidious is called “he is more cruel than hayyah”. Those who are beneficial and protective to his community is called “he is the hayyah of the earth/his region”. Those who live long, whether female or male, is called “she/he is such a hayyah”. When the individual is his prime in terms of intellect, mental capacity and genius, he is called “she/he is the hayyah of the valley”. Hayyah, in the context of simile, is used to describe the stars that lie between the twin quasar of the constellation Ursa Major and Alcaid [the dead/dormant star]. (Lisan, clause “hayyah”; Tac, clause “hayyah”)

Tahhiyah/salutation [May Allah give you a long life] is derived from the same root as well.

In short, meaning of this word is “life and vitality”. Basically, hayyah does not describe the snake itself, instead it describes the long life of the snake. Also mentioned here is the phrase hayyatun tes’a [tes’a that runs continuously]. The exact literal translation of this phrase would be “the one with seven lives” which means “even though facing the death, evading it”. While this word may be used for those who survived many illnesses, troubles and disasters, it is also used for cats and snakes.

To better comprehend hayyah, as mentioned in this Ayah, it must be considered that the object held by Moses in his right hand is described differently by Allah. In An-Naml/10 and Al-Qasas/31, the object held by Moses in his right hand is described as “it moves it like an invisible entity”. That is, that which Moses holds in his right hand resembles an invisible entity that causes to move”. So, what is this invisible entity that causes to move? It is the life/soul of humans and animals.

This expression represents the spiritual property of the revelation. Soul [ruh] is a name of the Qur’an while at the same time it is the name of that object [book] in the right hand of Moses. Then, in Ash-Shu’ara/193, it is stated that the ancient Scripture also had soul/life with the statement: The Trustworthy Soul [divine messages, trustworthy knowledge] descended into your heart in an explicit Arabic language so you may be of those warners with that explicit book. 196And indeed, the Trustworthy Soul [divine messages, trustworthy knowledge] was certainly in the books of those before you.

145 In the case the word hayyah, as mentioned in the 27th Ayah, is interpreted as “the snake”, the term “fear”, as mentioned in the 21st Ayah, will naturally be interpreted as “fear the snake”. Yet, the fear mentioned here is fear of Moses for his duties as mentioned in the 45th and 46th Ayat of this same Surah and also in Ash-Shu’ara/10-15, An-Naml/10 and Al-Qasas/30. Subject of the verb tahruju [it will get out] that is mentioned in the 22nd Ayah is not “the hand” but “you”. What meant here is that appointment of Aaron by Moses, who was assigned to assist Moses, to convey his messages flawlessly, perfectly and completely.

In the 20th and 23th Ayat mentioned are the two Ayat revealed to Moses. First of these two Ayat is the revelation [Book/Torah] that was given to him as a replacement of his scepter; and the second is the backup/Aaron, who would increase his strength when necessary. In the following Ayat, we will find out that Moses had an insufficient ability of expressing and asked the assistance of his brother, Aaron, and this wish of him was fulfilled.

Asa [scripture] and yad-i baize [absolute power] are detailed in the passages of the Surah Al-A’raf which are related to Moses.

The two evidences/signs that are stated in the 20th and 23th Ayat to be given to Moses is summarized in the Surah Al-Furqan as follows: “And surely We gave to Moses the Book and appointed his brother Aaron as his assistant and supporter.Then We said: “Go to those people who deny Our Ayat!”. Ultimately, We destroyed with a complete destruction those people who denied Our Ayat. (Al-Furqan/35,36)

146 Ayat of this paragraph are differently organized in the Official Mushaf as well in the following order: “20, 25-36, 21-23”.

147 See Footnote No. 111

148 See Footnote No. 110

149 The “actual” meaning of the phrase, originally mentioned in the Ayah, is “Their ropes and scepters”. We stated above that the term asa, which is the singular form of the term issiyihim, means “knowledge”. And the term hibal, originally mentioned in the Ayah, is the plural of the term habl. The literal meaning of hablisnot “the material rope” but “the rope with which one is tied”. Furthermore, this word means “promise/covenant”. Then, what meant with the term hablullah [the rope of Allah], that is mentioned in the Qur’an [Official Mushaf; Surah Ali-Imran/103], is the Qur’an that connects people to Allah. What dealt with here is the uselessness and worthlessness of their experience, ancient beliefs, knowledge, theories and what they cling onto. These words can correspond to English terms, “debris, ramble, meaningless, trivial”.

150 Conveyed in these Ayat is the revelation of the instruction to Moses that stated the tribe of Moses to travel by night without fearing to be caught up, and that dry paths would be opened in the Nile; then Pharaoh would drown in the Nile with his army following him.

The point in this Ayah to be emphasized is that the path would be opened in the large body of water thanks to traveling by night. This phrase implies that “this would be done by having people work by night, without letting others to find out about it, without drawing attention”.

According to the Qur’an, these events did not happen within minutes or hours but in a rather long time. When Moses returned to Egypt, he worked safely for years with his people under the rule of Pharaoh.

Hashiat, as mentioned in the Ayah, is a warning for him not to think that what he had done was not a betrayal against Pharaoh. Yet, we understand from the phrases mentioned in Ash-Shu’ara/18,19; “Pharaoh said: “Did we not raise you among us when you were a child? Did you not remain among us for many years of your life? 19Then you did the deed which you did. And you are one of ungrateful…” that Pharaoh blamed Moses of treachery and ungratefulness.

151 See Footnote No. 115

152 This passage is arranged differently in the Official Mushaf due to technical and semantic reasons. Form of the arrangement is shown below the passage. You can find detailed information thereof in Tebyinu’l Qur’an [Manifestation of the Qur’an].

153 See Footnote No. 56

154 See Footnote No. 39

155 See Footnote No. 98

156 See Footnote No. 200

157 See Footnote No. 8

158 The “testifiers” mentioned herein are the same witnesses mentioned in the Division 6 (2/68, Al-Qalam/17-33). 90th-93rd Ayat of the Surah Al-Hijr in the Official Mushaf are not technically and semantically connected to their assigned place. As a consequence of our comprehensive studies, we have humbly determined the actual place of these Ayat to be the preamble of the Surah Ash-Shu’ara. Therefore, we examined these Ayat within the scope of the preamble of the Surah Ash-Shu’ara.

159 See Footnote No. 107

160 See Footnote No. 108

161 See Footnote No. 109

162 See Footnote No. 149

163 What explained here is that Moses was revealed to build dams over the river that would collapse in the future to drown Pharaoh and his soldiers. What narrated in these Ayat is that Moses was revealed to build dams over the Nile using his knowledge and then the water was divided into parts as the mountains; i.e. high dams were built. Oldest known dam was the 15 meters high “Sadd Al-Kafarah” that was built over the Nile between ca. 2900-2750 B.C. According to an explicit account found in the Qur’an, there were multiple dams rather than one.

Scenes depicting the collapse of the dam and Pharaoh drowning can be found in the Official Mushaf: Surat Ad-Dukhan/23-24, Al-Qasas/40, Adh-Dhariyat/40.

164 The passage of the Official Mushaf that contain 52nd-67th Ayat has a problem. We rearranged the Ayat contained in this passage in the following order: “63, 52-56, 60-66, 57-59, 67”.

165 See Footnote No. 21

166 Literal meaning of the 155th-157th Ayat that are contained in the paragraph is He [Salih] said: This is a she-camel; she has the right to drink, and the right to drink for a specific day is yours, do not touch her with harm or the punishment of a great day seizes you”. Despite this, they killed the she-camel by cutting her shins and overnighted in regret. Salah and zaqah are used symbolically. Footnote No. 66 should also be referred.

167 See Footnote No. 87

168 The Ayah An-Naml/6, as mentioned in the Official Mushaf, has been rearranged between the Ayat 223 and 224 pursuant to the context.

169 The 6th Ayah is renamed as Ash-Shu’ara/224.

170 The number “nine” can be understood here in two distinctive ways. A) Here this number is used metaphorically to express a multiplicity. Then, the number of Ayat/signs sent to Israelites is much more than nine. B) What meant here is the fact that the “Ten Commandments” contained in the Torah are written down in nine Ayat. The expression “You will not have other deities but Me”, which is mentioned two distinctive command sentences in the Jewish Torah, and the expression “you will not carve idols for yourself” are combined into a single command sentence in the Samaritan Torah. Thus, number of the command sentences, including the one that states, “do not envy your neighbor’s house”, is ten in the Jewish Torah and nine in the Samaritan Torah.

171 As can be understood from the Ayah, army of Solomon consisted Ins, Jinn and birds: A) The Ins Group are soldiers from the people of Solomon who constituted the fighter group of the army. B) The Jinn Group, which is also called as “the Fatigue Party”, consisted of foreign soldiers and served as the quartermaster and equipment wing of the army which provided logistic support. Members of this group, as mentioned in the Surah Saba’/13, built castles and high and strong buildings and forged and processed wood, iron and copper. These are the craftsmen who had been brought from the neighboring countries and lived there since the David [Peace Be Upon Him] era. While these craftsmen, who played an important role in the establishment of a solid infrastructure and transfer of arts and the culture to the places invaded by Solomon, were experts and artisans, they are defined as “devils” in the Qur’an since they plotted against Solomon. For detailed information on this subject, please refer to Tebyinu’l Qur’an. C) The Bird Group, on the other hand, consisted of birds, which were employed for communication and to procure water supply for the soldiers in the course, and their caretakers. This was the army of birds of Solomon. Not that Solomon gathered the birds from the mountains and employed them as soldiers.

Solomon [Peace Be Upon Him] is mentioned as a prophet in the Qur’an and it was reported that he received revelations, however, no information as to these revelations is given. It is impossible for a Muslim to accept that the “Psalms of Solomon” mentioned in the Holy Bible were revealed to Solomon.

Information relating to Solomon can be found, other than this Surah, in the Surat As-Sad, Al-Anbya, Saba’ and Al-Baqara of the Official Mushaf.

The Valley of Ants, mentioned in the Ayah, is not a valley with a high population of ant but is a proper name. According to Imam Al-Zabidi, the “Valley of Ants” is the name of a region that is located between Jirben and Ashkelon. It is understood that the people who lived in the valley in question were associated to ants due to their lifestyle and therefore called that way. Today, many tribes from around the world, who assumed a name that corresponds to their lifestyle just as the people of the Valley of Ants/Naml, there also live many tribes, clans and groups that are named after birds, trees or boulders.

The “Hoopoe” mentioned here is not the actual bird but the caretaker of the bird in question. Then, names of certain bird species such as eagle, falcon, hawk, etc.? are still used as first names and names of certain bird species, on the other hand, are becoming symbols. For instance, when the expression “the yellow canaries” is uttered, we do not imagine “a flock of yellow canaries” but a soccer team in Turkey. Such symbolizations, which can be found in every culture, are metaphorical expressions. Therefore, while the hoopoe mentioned here is the title given to the soldier who is responsible for procuring water supply for the army and researching water resources that lie within the route of the army, this name is probably chosen by the fact that this soldier utilizes a “hoopoe” when performing his duties. The tradition of naming individuals or giving nick names in correspondence with their occupation still survives in today’s communities. For instance, in Turkish Army, the privates who are responsible for procuring water supply for armies are called saka (root of which is the Arabic word Saqqa that means “the one who carries water”). This name is actually the name of a bird species in Turkish, namely the goldfinch, and the reason that bird species called with this name is that they splash water around them when drinking.

It is understood, on the other hand, that the hoopoe mentioned in the Ayat 22 to 26 is an intelligent one that has conscious and even theological knowledge. Also, when the fact that Solomon wants to punish the hoopoe is considered, it can be concluded certainly that the hoopoe in question is not a bird but a human.

172 Sheba was a country that was located in South Arabia, people of known for their role in trade. Its capital was the city of Ma’rib, which was located ca. 55 miles northeast from San’a, current capital of the North Yemen. After the collapse of the Kingdom of Ma’in, Sheba rose to prominence in about 1100 B.C. and ruled over Arabia for a millennia. Thereafter, Himyarites succeeded them in about 115 B.C. Himyarites were another prominent people of South Arabia who ruled Yemen and Hadramaut in Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia in Africa. Shebaean controlled all the trade activities in coastal Africa, India, Far East and inner parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and also carried our business with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. This was the reason that they were famous in the ancient times for their wealth and prosperity. Furthermore, according to Greek historians, they were the wealthiest people at the time. Along with trade and business, another source of their prosperity was the dams they built all across their land to collect rain water for irrigation purposes. With these facilities they made their land a true garden. Greek historians conveyed the details of extraordinary greens of Sheba to this day. (Encyclopedias)

173 Here, the expression “before you leave your throne” that is uttered by one of the Jinn, Ifrit [a powerful and strong man among the strangers], actually means “within the term of your rule; under your rule”. The term Ifrit means “the evil one who prevails over his peers, who makes them slaves” (Lisanu’l-Arab, vol. 6, pp. 326-331, entry “afr”). The expressions indeed, I am powerful and trustworthy about that uttered by this entity, who was one of those foreigners who lived in the land of Israel (Tebyinu’l Qur’an; vol. 2, pp. 392-397), actually means “I can carry it, I can bring it without breaking it; I will not escape, I will not betray”.

174 The expression of the “one who has knowledge from the Book” as originally mentioned in the Ayah “qabla an yartadda ilayka tarfuka” does not mean, as given in other interpretations and translations, “in the blink of an eye” but “before your glance returns to you”. That is, “before you forget about this matter; you are now obsessed with the Queen of Sheba and the Sheba itself, you think about nothing else and your eyes see nothing else; you do not deal with any other matter than this, you do not look at yourself; so, I will bring it to you before you look at yourself, i.e. before you forget about this matter, before this drops off the agenda”.

175 See Footnote No. 77

176 DABBATUN MIN AL-ARZ: Dabbah, which is derived from the root dab, means “the one who walks slowly, moves, wallows, one who moves so slow that it can not be tracked or something movement of which can not be observed”. Dabbah is used in the Qur’an for “all creatures, small and large”. The term dabbah as mentioned in this Ayah, differently from other uses, use as a phrase, dabbatu’l-arz, which means “a ground dwelling creature”. Therefore, this Ayah should be reviewed individually, as with the Ayah An-Naml/82 – in which the term dabbah is used in a different phrase –. Dabbah is a kind of announcement tool to be revealed on the day of judgment, which consists of materials obtained from the earth and will announce that “humans did not believe in the Ayat of Allah as they should have”. For detailed information on this matter, please see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

177 See Footnote No. 77

178 See Footnote No. 27

179 See Footnote No. 68

180 See Footnote No. 8

181 See Footnote No. 109

182 See Footnote No. 68

183 See Footnote No. 50

184 What dealt here is the first revelation; the Messenger of Allah [Rasulullah] becoming a Prophet and the place where the first revelation was sent. Information thereof is given in the preamble of the Surah An-Naml in terms of form and place. According to the works of Waqidi, two of the first Islamic historians, namely Kitab Al-Maghazi and of Al-Azraqi, namely Akhbaru’l-Mecca, there are other masjid [school] than Masjid Al-Haram in different places of Mecca. Even certain houses are used by the Meccan as masjid [school]. One of those masjid [school] is the “Masjid Al-Aqsa” [the Farthest Masjid], so named because it is located in the upper part of the Jirane Valley, some 9 miles from Mecca. This masjid [school] was commenced by a member of the Quraysh tribe. In the light of this information, it can be understood from the expression “a part of which We made sacred” mentioned in the Ayah that Masjid Al-Aqsa is located out of/at the edge of the perimeter of the haram/sacred area. Then, Masjid Al-Aqsa is not located in Jerusalem but at the edge of the haram/sacred area that is located in Mecca and this statement mentioned in the Qur’an is consistent with the respective work of Waqidi, an early period historian and geographer. For detailed information on this matter please refer to Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

185 See Footnote No. 77

186 See Footnote No. 50

187 For integrity of content, the Ayat 45-48 have been rearranged as a continuation from the Ayah 41; and the Ayah 40 has been rearranged as a continuation from the Ayah 42.

188 See Footnote No. 37

189 See Footnote No. 121

190 This vision that was shown to our Prophet; 1) is the image that our Prophet saw on the last cedar during the occurrence of the first revelation on the night mentioned in the Surah Al-Isra/1, according to the Official Mushaf, details of which are explained in the Surah An-Najm; 2) is the vision, in which our Prophet saw his entrance to Mecca; this vision is mentioned in the Surah Al-Fath/27. It should be remembered that the visions mentioned herein are not those scenes “that are seen in one’s dreams” but are the visions “that are seen when someone is awake”.

The Cursed Tree is the tree that must be “stayed away, isolated”, and what actually meant is “gold, property”. Then, as we mentioned about the Surah Sad (see Tebyinu’l Qur’an; vol.2, pp. 444), the word curse means “to banish, to deprive of the good and benefits, to cast away a member of the family or lineage”. The tree that is banned to Adam (Al-Ar’af/19, Division 69) is actually “gold, wealth, property” (see Tebyinu’l Qur’an; vol. 2, pp. 534).

Likewise, it is stated in the Qur’an (Official Mushaf: Al-Anfal/28, At-Taghabun/15, Az-Zumar/49) that it is an incitement for the mankind and it is commanded to avoid it and not to become obsessed with it.

191 See Footnote No. 56

192 See Footnote No. 39

193 Iblis [Devil] does not need to make an effort to become a partner of man in his properties and children. Individuals make him their partner of themselves and in their properties and children by serving Iblis, wasting their properties for the cause of Iblis, preventing their children to receive education thus making them ignorant. Father of child who is not educated in the appropriate way becomes a half-Iblis and it is inevitable for that child to become an immoral tyrant or a polytheist who serves to the cause of Iblis.

These matters can be found in the Official Mushaf: An-Nisa/118-119, Al-Ma’idah/103, Sad/82-83, Al-An’am/136, Al-Baqara/268 and Al-Isra/31.

194 These are the first Ayat that regulate the times to establish Salah [spiritual and financial support]. Even though they are in a Meccan Surah, these Ayat belong to the Medinan period. As we emphasized above, purpose of Salah [spiritual and financial support] is to support an individual spiritually and financially thus making him a person who is beneficial to himself and the community alike. Especially, since the spiritual aspects of salah allow people to become a mature person, our Rabb showed how He cares about education-training, which is the way to fulfill this important purpose, by commanding salah to be performed even under the attack of enemies. What is mentioned within the above mentioned Ayat is the spiritual aspects of salah. Therefore, salah is requested to be performed in predetermined intervals thus ensuring that the spiritual nourishment of man is satisfied. Being a duty for the believers that must be established in predetermined intervals, “Salah” is aimed toward the sustaining of faith of Allah within the mind of man. Therefore, establishing salah [establishing and maintaining spiritual and financial support] is an important duty for man. This duty is required to be performed in predetermined intervals within a day [morning, evening and night] due to this importance it bears. Commanding that salah must be served, Allah explicitly stated when to fulfill salah in the Surat Al-Isra/78-79 and Hud/114. When considered carefully, it can be realized that the statements given in Hud/114 and Al-Isra/78-79 are same and set forth the times to perform salah. However, these intervals are expressed in various stylistic manners using different terms in accordance with the general literary form of the Qur’an. The point that should be considered here is that all these different terms are actually synonyms. Consequently, regulation of the intervals on which salah is to be performed was made according to the geographical and social conditions of Arabia at that time and, in our opinion, appropriate salah times may be reorganized for different geographic and social environments.

195 See Footnote No. 54

196 See Footnote No. 170

197 See Footnote No. 8

198 The phrase of Qadama sidq, which comprises two separate terms, qadama [foot] and sidq [truth] means “the foot of truth” and therefore expresses that “the reward of good deeds of people would be good and auspicious”. This phrase is used in the Ayah to express that “believers will be recompensed fully or even exceedingly for what they do in their worldly lives”.

199 See Footnotes No. 37 and 52

200 THE WORD CONVEYED BY OUR RABB. The word mentioned in the Ayah is the principle of our Rabb to “postpone His punishments for a predetermined time”. Allah the Sublime mentions about this principle and states that He will not amend this principle in the Official Mushaf: Surat Ash-Shuraa/14, Hud/110, Fatir/45, Fussilat/45 and Ta-Ha/129.

201 See Footnotes No. 77

202 See Footnotes No. 77

203 See Footnotes No. 8

204 One of the matters that should be considered here is that the statement in the 2-4 Ayat; “Indeed, I am a warner and the bringer of good tidings for you from Him. And ask your Rabb for forgiveness and repent to Him so He may let you enjoy until the end of a predetermined term. And so that He may give bounties to every person who has the virtue. And if you turn away, I fear the punishment of a great day which is against you. Your return is only to Allah. And He is the One Who is competent over everything” is made by the Qur’an. The statement in question is made by the Qur’an through anthropomorphism [a figure of speech that attributes human characteristics to object other than humans]. Interpreting this statement without considering this fact may lead to misunderstanding that it may be attributed to our Prophet. The anthropomorphism, a widely used figure of speech, is used in other Ayat of the Qur’an as well (Official Mushaf: Maryam/64, Adh-Dhariyat/50-51, As-Saffat/164-166).

205 The term al-mustaqqar, mentioned in the Ayah means “a permanent settlement” while the term al-mustawda means “a temporary settlement”. What is meant with the expression “Allah knows where every living creature lives “permanently” and where it is “temporarily”” means that Allah knows where the living creatures are placed and where they dwelled later. No matter how frequently these places change, that does not affect the knowledge of Allah about them. For instance: Anyone can move to another city or country other than the one he lives due to certain reasons; but wherever he may go, Allah knows where he exactly is; the place where a man will die may be different from the place where he sleeps every night; however, Allah knows the both. A sperm cell is created within the body of the father then it replaced into the ovary of the mother. Allah knows exactly where that cell is at any given moment. A bacteria is formed at a place and then penetrated to bodies of other creatures and becomes active there. Allah knows where that bacteria is and what its activities are.

The Ayah in question includes another meaning in addition to those we mentioned above. It is that “Allah knows where man will temporarily dwell with his information and without vanishing until the Day of Resurrection”. This matter is detailed in Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

206 See Footnote No. 37

207 The literal meaning of the expressions contained in this Ayah is as follows; “His throne was on the water”. Information on the terms Arsh [Throne] and Istiwah is given under the footnotes 34 and 43.

208 35th Ayah of the Official Mushaf is relocated to this position in compliance with the technical and semantic aspects.

209 The expression “When the oven/floor furnace boils” is an allegorical expression that represents the fact that the time for punishment gets closer, and is closely related to the idiom “The oven/floor furnace has warmed” that is used by Arabs to denote the climax of a war.

210 The literal meaning of this expression is “to bring the purified calf”. The calf Abraham (Peace Be Upon Him) offered to his guests is described in this Ayah with the word haniz and the word samin in Adh-Dhariyat/26. Conservatives interpreted these two terms as “roasted” and “fat” respectively; thus they made a clear error by overlooking the fact that an alive and large calf can not be roasted and the contradiction between the adjective “roasted” that qualifies the same animal and the adjective fat that is used for alive animals.

When the above mentioned meanings of these words that are used to describe the calf, it can be concluded that the calf mentioned herein is “pure” and “giving power”. Therefore, we think that this calf is made of “gold” as “the dead calf with a deceiving voice” that is mentioned in the Surah Al-A’raf. Accordingly, Abraham gave to the messengers “gold” for the good tidings they had brought. The incident is not detailed here in its entirety. The incident is narrated in great detail in the Ayah Al-Hijr/51-58. Abraham must have given the gift after he had received the good tidings.

211 The expressions my daughters and your daughters mentioned in the Ayat 78 and 79 respectively do not represent the daughters of Lot (Peace Be Upon Him) but must be understood as “the women of the respective community”. Because it is impossible that the daughters born to Lot to be equal in number to all men of the community. Such equality can only be mentioned when the expression my daughter denotes all women of the community. Lot must have consider all women in his tribe as his daughters so such an expression is used in this Ayah. Likewise, the answer of men of the community; you have known that there is no right for us concerning your daughters, must be interpreted as follows; “We do not need your daughter, i.e. women; we are not interested in them sexually, we do not love nor want them, we do not covet upon them”.

212 The phrase “as long as the heavens/universe and the earth remain” mentioned in the Ayat represents the persistent nature of the offerings of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and the punishment of Jahannah [Hell]. Then, in classical Arabic, the phrase as long as the heavens/universe and the earth remain and the day and the night revolve around each other is used to denote “an eternal term [Abad]”. Otherwise, as can be understood from the following Ayat, there will not be the heavens/universe nor the earth in the Akhirat [Afterlife]; mountains will be demolished to the ground and the heavens/universe will be converted into another form: Official Mushaf: Al-Kahf/47, An-Naba’/18-20, Ta-Ha/105-107, An-Naml/88, At-Tur/9-10, Al-Ma’arij/8-9, Al-Qari’ah/5, Al-Waqi’ah/1-6, Ibrahim/48.

Furthermore, the expression “Except for what your Rabb wills” does not mean that some people will be exempted from this rule, instead it emphasizes that everything will happen by the will of Allah and all the authority belong to Allah.

213 See Footnote No. 200

214 See Footnote No. 8

215 Although other stories are narrated in multiple Surah in short of longer forms, the story of Yusuf is narrated solely in this Surah. The story has a unique quality and beauty stylistically and in its contents. Then, this is explicitly expressed in the 3rd Ayah with the expression We narrate you the best of the stories. With this story, in which such ageless principles of the mankind as unification, patience, justice, tolerance, forgiveness, relations with close relatives, economics, politics; conquering from inside and the fact that everyone, even prophets can make mistakes are emphasized, our Prophet was given the message to be patient like Joseph (Peace Be Upon Him), to carry on his duty without fearing nor despairing, and his affairs would conclude with “the good” as with the fate of Joseph; while the people of Quraysh were warned that they would eventually be defeated in their war against our Prophet and that it did not make sense to insist thereof.

216 The story of Joseph starts with this Ayah in which Joseph tells his father about a vision he has seen. This “vision”, in which eleven stars, the sun and the moon submit [submit and come under command of Joseph] to him, is not a dream he saw while he was asleep but a vision Joseph saw while he was awake. This is emphasized with the use of the verb raeytu [I saw] twice in this Ayah. That is, Joseph emphasized that he saw these images while he was awake and not asleep with the expression “O my father! Indeed I have seen eleven stars, the sun and the moon; I have seen them submitting to me”.

Any image that is seen while being asleep and described with the term “dream” in English are described in the Qur’an with the use of the term fi’l-manami [while asleep]. Two of those dreams that are mentioned in the Qur’an as seen while being asleep belong to Abraham and our Prophet (see. As-Saffat/102; Division: 210, Al-Anfal/43-44; Division: 471).

Visions similar to those that Joseph saw would be seen by his companions in the prison and also the king of the land. That is, the visions of producing spirits, carrying bread over the head and birds feeding on this bread, and seven lean cows devouring seven fat cows and seven green spikes and seven withered spikes in the following parts of the story, are not dreams but real images. In fact, these are scenes about the “future”. Such scenes from the future were seen by our Prophet as well (see Al-Fath/27; Division: 670).

217 The expression mentioned in the 76th Ayat, “There was no way to keep his brother within the religion of the king/laws of the country”, is interpreted in some resources as “the law of the king on theft, beating of the thief and obligation to pay double the price of the stole object”; and as “at the time, anyone who stole was considered a slave for his evil deed” in others.

218 See Footnote No. 8

219 12th Ayah of the Official Mushaf relocated to this position.

220 As can be clearly understood from the Ayah, our Rabb has assumed the protection of the Qur’an and He will protect it and will not let it be spoiled. But, our Rabb will not protect the Qur’an by breaking wrists and ankles of those who try to alter it nor blinding them, … taking their lives nor keeping the Qur’an in locked steel safe boxes. Protection of our Rabb will be as follows:

The Qur’an, a miracle in its literary and structural style and contents, was sent down Arabbian [with the most perfect narrative style and grammatically accurate]. Therefore, any extraction, addition of alteration would show itself up immediately, so to speak: A) Muslims formed the Qur’an in the form of a book at the early periods; so early manuscripts and contemporary editions are same. B) From the first day forth, people have been reciting and memorizing the Qur’an easily thanks to the harmonic nature of its literary style; therefore, in every period there always were thousands of hafiz [anyone who has completely memorized the Qur’an] and the risk of corruption and alteration or being lost was never a case for the Qur’an. C) As soon as it was first revealed, the Qur’an was started to be recited and taught. Contrary to other religions, Islam does not sport a class of clerics, therefore recitation and teaching of it has been accessible for all, for the rural and urban population alike; the Qur’an has entered to every house with its many copies, and thus recited and taught by everyone. This has led to a wide spread awareness and knowledge on the Qur’an and efforts of the ill-minded to corrupt it has always failed. D) 610 A.D., the year the revelation of the Qur’an commenced, was a period of enlightenment in comparison with the time periods during which other religions had been revealed, and any and all incidents were recorded in a tactile form. Consequently, while some historians deny the very existence of Moses and Jesus (Peace Be Upon Them), there is no such doubt about our Prophet. Therefore, the sole miracle of our Prophet, the Qur’an, has survived to this day with such records that eliminate all possible doubts. E) Islam did not emerge among mistreated, poor, weak and miserable minorities, as in the time of Moses and Jesus (Peace Be Upon Them), but among those who were rich; those who had the authority and power; in the prosper, sovereign and free cities thus becoming the religion of powerful communities.

221 The literal meaning of the phrases mentioned in the Ayah is as follows; “And We protected the heavens/universe from all demons that are stoned. Except for the demons who steal ears, they are clearly pursued by a column of fire”. In our interpretation, we have used the metaphorical meaning. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

222 See Footnote No. 49

223 See Footnote No. 91

224 Same issue is mentioned in the Surah Sad/71-85 (Division: 66)

225 Same issue is dealt with in the Surah Hud/69-83 (Division: 191)

226 See Footnote No. 211

227 See Footnote No. 87

228 Since the Ayat 90-93 of the Surah Al-Hijr of the Official Mushaf are reorganized together with the Ayat 3-6 of the Surah Ash-Shu’ara, they are not given here.

229 See Footnote No. 24

230 The Surah Al-An’am (consists of 165 Ayat) is a summary of all principles that had been revealed until the time of its revelation. As we mentioned in the Tebyinu’l Qur’an, since it is stated that these Surat were revealed at once, we give them within a single division herein.

231 See Footnote No. 71

232 We reorganized 114th Ayah of the Official Mushaf in the end of the 64th Ayah and 104th Ayah in the end of the 67th Ayah.

233 See Footnote No. 205

234 We reorganized the Ayat of this passage different than the Official Mushaf due to technical and semantic reasons.

235 The literal meaning of the Ayah is “Indeed, We adorned the lower heavens with jewels/stars. And except for those who could catch a crumble from The Community of Angles [Al Mala al-Ala] and who are followed by shooting stars [Shahab al-Saqip], We protected it from all stubborn and transgressing devils who are in constant punishment, stoned from all around to be driven away and do not heed the Community of Angels. And We protected it from all rebellious stubborn devils”. A similar passage can be found in the Surah Al-Hijr/16-18. The term Mala al-Ala is explained in the Footnote 89 herein.

236 See Footnote No. 77

237 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we reorganized 88th and 89th Ayat differently than the Official Mushaf.

238 The events mentioned here are various phases of Abraham’s and Ishmael’s lives and did not happen in successive order. The submission [Islam] mentioned here is the event mentioned in the Surah Baqara/124-132 (Division: 420). For the details of this matter, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

239 See Footnote No. 204

240 See Footnote No. 8

241 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we have reorganized the Ayat contained within this paragraph differently than the Official Mushaf.

242 These Ayat deal with Solomon (Peace Be Upon Him), who is given as a model for the grateful servants and also the blessings bestowed. As can be understood from the Ayat, among the blessings bestowed to Solomon were utilizing winds to move sailboats and windmills, producing tools from melted copper, traveling to and from far places quickly, employing foreign-master craftsmen in crafting, mastery, engineering and architecture.

In the previous passage, his father, David (Peace Be Upon Him) is mentioned to process iron; in this passage, on the other hand, Solomon is mentioned to use copper. The ability to process iron and copper respectively, shows the grandeur of the blessings bestowed upon these two prophets/rulers.

The phrase “We We flooded molten copper for him” mentioned in the Ayah may imply that there were no copper mines in the land where Solomon lived and the copper mentioned was imported with ships from far places such as Cyprus. Then, the name of Cyprus originated from copper.

The phrase, “And whoever of them dared to go astray from Our command; We made him taste from the punishment of the blazing fire” mentioned in the end of the 12th Ayah represents – as can be understood from the conclusion of the 14th Ayah – the absolute dominion of Solomon over them and foreign workers worked for him unwillingly. A brief information on the Jinn of Solomon is given in the Footnote No. 171.

Demonic Jinn, who waged slandering and defamatory campaigns against Solomon and did their best to overthrow and eliminate him were capable craftsmen who worked reluctantly. Aware of this, Solomon employed them to the full extent by force.

243 In these Ayat, it is stated that the people of Sheba followed Iblis and transgressed while not being forced to do so by Iblis and consequently, they were punished. In the Ayah, certain messages, which are previously expressed using figurative narration (Official Mushaf: Surah Al-Araf/16-17, Division 69; Surah Al-Isra/62, Division 165; Al-Hijr/39-40, Division 199) were referred to.

In these Ayat, it is told that Iblis would make all the people, except for a group of few, transgress and ungrateful. The fate of the people of Sheba is a great example of this function of Satan. Because they were ungrateful thus supporting Satan’s intentions.

244 See Footnote No. 57

245 Orthographic and orthoepic errors were made in the 10th and 53rd Ayat of the Surah Az-Zumar. The word that we translated as “the Servants” is, according to the Official Mushaf, “My servants”. This orthographic error in the Official Mushaf has been omitted for centuries. This error, which emerges the notion that people should be servants to Muhammad and thus contradicting the creeds of Islam, must be corrected (for details about this matter see Tebyinı’l-Kur’an).

246 The term Taghut means “a transgressor, a one who has gone astray, a leader of evil and astray, a tyrant, a devil, an idol, the house of idols, an soothsayer (cohen), a magician, an individual and the establishment that turn away from the judgment of Allah and”.

247 The term Masani means “double, multiple”. The masani (double, multiple) nature of the Qur’an can briefly be explained as follows: A) The Method of Contradiction: Positive and negative concepts, as can be seen in the Surah Az-Zumar/22-23, are always given in conjunction with each other in the Qur’an using the Method of Contradiction. Abrar-Fujjar, good-evil, heavens-earth, ins-jinn, truth-falsehood, Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]-Jahannah [Hell], warning-good tidings, etc. B) Any message conveyed is always emphasized twice.

248 The phrase “Their skins soften” has the same meaning as the English phrase “Gives the goose-bumps”.

249 The verb of the phrase has been removed. The verb has been added to the Interpretation with the guidance of the Surah Fussilat/40.

250 See Footnote No. 245

251 See Footnote No. 27

252 See Footnote No. 56

253 See Footnote No. 37

254 In this Ayah, it is stated that the Companions of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] will be shown, as the manifestation of Allah, His greatness and sublimity. This divine manifestation mentioned in this Ayah is expressed using a highly figurative allegory: Allah sits upon the throne of dominion while all forces of the universe circumambulate around Him, exonerating and glorifying Him. These forces (angels) mentioned here are similar to the angels mentioned in the Surah Al-Baqara/30-34. All the forces, systems created by Allah exonerate, glorify and hallow Allah in Jannah [Heaven/Paradise].

255 See Footnote No. 8

256 See Footnote No. 37

257 What is meant with the phrase “Those who carry the throne” is “Those who carry over the information about Allah”. These are all creatures who are the manifestation of the very existence, unity, divinity and nature of Rabb of Allah and those who are assigned by the Owner of the Throne to information of Allah, “the oneness” from one place to another, and the prophets who introduce and teach about Allah.

258 See Footnote No. 71

259 See Footnote No. 8

260 See Footnote No. 52

261 See Footnote No. 77

262 The purpose of polytheists of Mecca, as mentioned here, is to avert people’s attention from the Qur’an, to distract those who listen and to prevent it from being understood by making it undistinguishable.

This plot has been continued by utilizing such approaches as disturbing the order of Ayat in the Official Mushaf, diverting the true meaning of the Qur’an with rumors, paraphrasing it for personal opinions, ensuring that people recite it without understanding it, alleging that it can not be understood by everyone, spreading the judgment that it may not be recited without exercising ritual ablution, concealing its social and political contents, refusing that it is the single resource of the religion, etc.

263 See Footnote No. 200

264 As of present time, some of the inner and extraterrestrial miracles are as follows: Inner miracles: Existence of protective cells found in every human’s organic system, creation in pairs, the fact that semen is a compound, determination of gender, clinging onto the wall of uterus, becoming a piece of flesh, formation of the bones and covering of them with flesh, creation in three darkness… Extraterrestrial miracles: Continuous expansion of the universe, creation from nothingness, gas state of the universe, perfectly set orbits found in the universe, revolution of the sun, difference between sun and moon, orbit of moon, layers of the atmosphere and the earth, the heavens/universe being protected, things returned by the heavens/universe, erection of the heavens/universe without pillars, geoid shape of the earth, diameter of the earth and the space, flattening of poles as a consequence of revolving, revolving of the earth, fecundating winds, amount of rains, recycling of water, stake shaped mountains, formation of petroleum, respiration and photosynthesis, difficulty to arise into the heavens/universe, Feminity and Masculinity of plants… All these biological, physical concepts and existence were unknown during the times when the Qur’an was revealed. Therefore, inclusion of the concepts that has only recently been discovered by science is a manifest and certain evidence that the Qur’an was revealed by Allah.

265 See Footnote No. 8

266 Due to technical and semantic matters, we reorganized 10th Ayah of the Official Mushaf after 15th Ayah.

267 See Footnote No. 200

268 See Footnote No. 54

269 See Footnote No. 8

270 We reorganized 60th Ayah of the Official Mushaf into this position.

271 We reorganized 61st and 62nd Ayat of the Official Mushaf into this paragraph.

272 See Footnote No. 37

273 See Footnote No. 8

274 According to prophetic biography [Siyar] and campaigns [Maghazi], in the first hears of Muhammad’s prophethood, Mecca experienced a period of severe famine. During the climax of the famine, Abu Sufyan came to the Messenger of Allah and, relying on the fact that they were relatives, asked him to invoke Allah to remove the famine; And he promised that had Allah removed the famine, they would believe. However, although Allah removed the famine, the polytheists broke their words and kept associating others with Allah.

275 See Footnote No. 8

276 See Footnote No. 8

277 See Footnote No. 49

278 See Footnote No. 77

279 Surah opens with an Oath [Qaseem] Sentence. In the passage, which consists of 6 Ayat, certain matters are listed consecutively and sworn upon thus the veracity of the promised events [recreation, resurrection, threat of gathering and questioning] are acknowledged. Accordingly, Qiyamat [Resurrection] will certainly come, everyone will be recompensed for what they do and rewarded for their good deeds. On the question whether the expressions listed in the passage are the Ayat of Allah in the universe or the Ayat of the Qur’an, we assume both may be meant. Therefore, the expressions in question should be considered in both approach: 1) RELATION OF QUALITATIVE EXPRESSIONS WITH THE EVENTS IN THE UNIVERSE: Our Rabb draws attention to the natural cycle of water. Vaporization from seas, lakes, rivers and all bodies of water from the smallest to the largest that occurs due to heat and also particles swept from the land by winds are made rain clouds that weight millions of tons then returned to the earth, being allocated to different places. And barren soil is revived with this returned waters. The “reviving effect” of the rain on the withered nature is one of the most significant evidences that the mankind may also be resurrected (Ar-Rum/46-50; Fussilat/39; Fatir/9; Al-Baqara/164; Al-A’raf/57; Al-Hijr/22-23). 2) RELATION OF QUALITATIVE AYAT WITH THE QUR’AN: It is possible that the Ayat of the Qur’an might be addressed with the expressions contained in the passage. Accordingly, the term that which scatter dust and other qualitative expressions that follow are actually the Ayat of Qur’an. Because, the Ayat of the Qur’an defeat everything that crosses their path, do not let any false acts and ideas to cultivate and their messages contain harsh statements; they help everyone and solve problems, flowing like oil from hand to hand, tongue to tongue and heart to heart. Another name for the Qur’an is soul [ruh] and it gives life to dead infidels and people.

As with this Surah, the Qur’an is many times introduced in the beginnings of various Surat using metaphorical expressions: Al-Mursalat/1-7 (Division: 55), As-Saffat/1-5 (Division: 205), An-Nazi’at/1-3, 26 (Division: 369).

280 The metaphorical meaning of the term sama is “the scholars”.

281 The literal meaning of the term semin that is mentioned in the Ayah is “the calf that gives strength”. This – as we have mentioned in the Footnote No. 210 herein – represents “gold”.

282 See Footnote No. 204

283 We reorganized these Ayat of the Surah Al-Kahf, which is the 18th Surah in the Official Mushaf, differently.

284 The parables of the Companions of Al-Kahf and the Companions of Al-Raqim are scientific experiments to prove the veracity of the Akhirat [Afterlife]. Another matter to consider before starting to read the passage is that not only the Companions of Al-Kahf but also the Companions of Al-Raqim are mentioned in the parable. Therefore, some of the pronouns used in the passage are attributed to the Companions of Al-Kahf while the rest are attributed to the Companions of Al-Raqim. As can be understood from the text of the Ayat, in this section of the Surah mentioned are an event that had not yet occurred at the time when the Qur’an was revealed but would occur many centuries later; the fact that the mankind will not perish but when the time has come, scattered cells will be gathered and formed; and persons and events that will scientifically prove the veracity of Akhirat [Afterlife]. For detailed information thereof, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

285 We have provided information on the term hut which is mentioned in the Ayah under the Footnote No. 14 and stated that the term hut means “distress/depression”. The matter that distresses Moses is his anxiety about the task of killing Pharaoh and lead Israelites out of Egypt he was assigned. In this parable, Moses learns how he would fulfill this task successfully and that those who wage against Allah must be killed; therefore, why he must kill Pharaoh.

286 In this passage, Muhammad the Messenger is introduced with a different narrative style via utilization of various advanced figures of speech. The events mentioned herein had not yet occurred when these Ayat were revealed. When the myth of Dhul-Qarnayn was asked, a historical narration of Dhul-Qarnayn was given. This passage is a miracle in this respect. We studied this matter in Tebyinu’l Qur’an in detail. The literal meaning of the passage is as follows: “When he arrived between two walls, he found a people from among the subordinates of the two clans who could barely understand a word. They [the people who could barely understand a word] said: “O Dhul-Qarnayn! Surely, Ye’cuc and Me’cuc are corrupters on these lands. Then should we give you a tribute so [on the condition that] you may set a wall between them and us?”. He [Dhul-Qarnayn] said: “O my Rabb! They ask You about me and Dhul-Qarnayn”. Say: “I will recite a reminder from Him: Surely, We gave him [Dhul-Qarnayn] dominion in the world and reasons to follow for every matter. Then he followed a reason. And when he arrived the place where the sun sets, he found it [the sun] sinking into a dark clay. And he also found a people close by. We said: “O Dhul-Qarnayn! Either punish them or treat them nicely”. He said: “Whoever does evil deeds we surely punish him; Then he will be returned to his Rabb and will be punished with an unprecedented punishment. But whoever believes and does good deeds; he will be recompensed in the best way. And we will command him an easy task”. Then he [Dhul-Qarnayn] followed another reason. And he arrived the place where sun rises. He found it [the sun] rising over a people. Then We had made a shield for them from the subordinate of it [the sun]. Thus was it! And We had encompassed that which was beside it with science. Then he [Dhul-Qarnayn] followed another reason. Then the possibilities he had within himself were better. Now help me with your strength so I may set a very strong wall between them and you. Bring me the iron blocks/the texts of negotiation that you have prepared with your wisdom”. And when two hills/targets were level, he said: “Blow!”. And when he made it [the iron] into fire [melted], he said: “Bring me water so I may pour onto it”. Then they [the people who could barely understand a word] could not be able to overcome nor pierce it [the firmly made covenant]. He [Dhul-Qarnayn] said: “This [the firmly made covenant] is a mercy from my Rabb. And when the promise of my Rabb arrives, it will destroy it. And the promise of my Rabb is the truth”.

In our interpretation, We gave the direct meanings of otherwise metaphorical narrations.

287 The fact that Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) being the owner of the two ages can be explained in two ways: A) The reason may be that his emigration from Mecca to Medina was accepted as the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Therefore, his life was divided into two eras, namely “Before Hijra” and “After Hijra”; in the same fashion as the use of the terms “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini”. B) He could have been considered of the owner of Mecca, where the sun [revelation] rises, and Medina, where – according to the expression given in the passage – the sun sets.

288 Here, presidency of Muhammad in Medina and the covenant he made with the native community [The Certificate of Medina] is dealt with.

289 In this paragraph, emigration of Muhammad to the city he was revealed [to Mecca-Hudaybiyyah] and the covenant he made there is dealt with.

290 It is stated that the terms Ye’cuc and Me’cuc are not Arabic. According to various studies that have been conducted to determine the etymology of non-Arabic terms mentioned in the Qur’an, these two terms – as with Harut and Marut – were borrowed from a foreign language [Greek] and integrated into the Arabic language. Another point of interest is that these terms were integrated into Arabic with words that remind such words as “destroy, loot, devastate, etc.”.

According to the Holy Bible and the Bible and the Qur’an, the common features of Ye’cuc and Me’cuc are being raiders and invaders. Therefore, the power that comes to mind when these two terms are uttered must be the power of an army. In such case, Ye’cuc is the “commander” and Me’cuc are his “soldiers”.

From this viewpoint, it can be said that the commander [Muhammad] who invaded Kyber and his companions [Sahaba] were Ye’cuc and Me’cuc to the people of Kyber.

In the 94th Ayah, – in the literal meanings of the terms – the people who could barely understand a word/defy laws/rules speak to Dhul-Qarnayn as if addressing a third party, saying: O Dhul-Qarnayn! Surely, Ye’cuc and Me’cuc are corrupters on these lands. Since it has not been studied in detail, this dialog that is mentioned in the Ayah is misinterpreted. In fact, the people who could barely understand a word/defy laws-rules do not address Dhul-Qarnayn as you and your army are corrupters on these lands, instead they use a more polite and diplomatic style and in a sarcastic manner, saying O Dhul-Qarnayn! Surely, Ye’cuc and Me’cuc are corrupters on these lands.

291 Here the preparation stage and content of the Khyber Treaty is dealt with. Detailed information thereof can be found in history books, which deal with this subject and Tebyinu’l Qur’an

292 See Footnote No. 246.

293 See Footnote No. 71.

294 Allah favors some of His servants over others in terms of wealth, children, lifetime and intelligence. Those who are favored in wealth do not pay their subordinates, employees, officers, workers equally; they pay them differently due to certain reasons. They consider none of them are equal with them and do not share with them. Our Rabb gives this message: Even you do not accept your employees [slaves, workers, officers] as partners [equal] to yourselves; and acknowledge the difference between the master and the slave, the employee and the employer, then how come you do not accept there is a difference between Allah and His creations? Does Allah ever accept His servants as partners [equal] to Himself? The reason for Allah to bestow His blessings more upon some of His servants thus favoring some of them above others is to maintain the social order: The relation between subordinates and seniors is a divine law that is imposed on the social life and enables people to socially interact among themselves thus allowing them to be tested with their manners and attitudes in establishing their relations. Raising in various degrees, as mentioned herein, is not a difference in terms of prophecy, superiority, prestige, but in economical power, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, knowledge-ignorance. In a community where all of the members are equal in terms of economical power, intelligence and understanding, employment and production, which in turn requires some people to employ other, can not be possible; and in an environment where employment and production is absent, the life literally stops. For detailed information see Official Mushaf: Az-Zukhruf/32 (Division: 258), Ar-Rum/28 (Division: 379).

295 Those who break their covenants as mentioned in the Ayah, are likened to a women who untwists her thread after having made it strong. A woman who untwists her thread which she has made is an allegory used to characterize those who break their covenants. Although this allegory, which is made according to Arabic tradition, is stated in certain interpretations to represent a woman, it is obvious that the person who is characterized in the Ayah represents all those who break their covenants, female or male.

296 The city mentioned herein must be the city of Sheba which is mentioned in 58/34, Sheba/5-21 (Division: 223).

297 The Sabbath, which is colloquially known as “Saturday” is the day when the people interrupt their daily [worldly] affairs and heed to and contemplate on the words of God thus resting their souls and bodies.

298 The idols names of which are given herein were so-called gods of the people of Noah. In the lifetime of the Messenger, there were such idols which were called with these names.

299 Due to technical and semantic reasons, We rearranged the 25th Ayah of the Official Mushaf to the end of the 28th Ayah.

300 See Footnote No. 8

301 See Footnote No. 37

302 See Footnote No. 290

303 The phrase ma malaqat aymanuhum [their covenants possess] is usually interpreted to refer to “concubines”. It was widely accepted that there was no limitation on the number of concubines one can have while no official marriage is required for them. Therefore, it must be analyzed carefully to whom the phrase ma malaqat aymanuhum [their covenants possess] refers: When Islam emerged, slavery had been in existence in Arabia, as with all other regions of the world, and it was maintained by means of purchase, heritance, abduction, enslaving of prisoners, etc. Islam forbade taking prisoners except during hot-war and enslaving of the prisoners (Al-Anfal/62 and Muhammad/4) and thus completely abolished slavery utilizing a gradual method. And in the 19th Century, other nations, led by British Empire, abolished and forbade slavery. Unfortunately, Ottoman Empire, so called an Islamic state, abolished slavery only in 1857 for black people and in 1909 for white people. For detailed explanation thereof, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an; vol. 2, p. 167.

During the period when slavery was in effect, in compliance with local and international traditions, female and male slaves were given into custody of guardian families under certain conditions and contracts and so-called guardian families would employ them and keep them under their protection. While slaves had the freedom of religion and conscience, they were not free economically and politically. Upon abolishment of slavery by means of heritage and taking prisoners, female prisoners of war, who were not subjected to amendment, for whom no ransom had been given and who had no relatives to guard them, were given under the protection of anybody under aforementioned conditions. In some cases, slaves were sent as gifts from neighboring nations, where slavery had not been abolished.

The phrase ma malaqat aymanuhum [their covenants possess] refers to the “women taken under protection under these conditions”. In order to have sexual intercourse with these women, consent of their guardians must have been obtained and a formal marriage must have been established upon provision of mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] (An-Nisa/24) according to the tradition. Islam disapproves extramarital sexual intercourse; in Islam, extramarital voluntary sexual activities are considered unlawful sexual intercourse and extramarital and involuntary sexual activities are considered rape.

Mention of these women in the Ayah as a secondary group by utilizing the conjunction “or” originates from unknown aspects of their past lives and the fact they were unequal to their legitimate fellow citizens in terms of mehir [life insurance, honor wealth]. While wedlock was basically equal, there were differences in details. The following names can be given as examples to such concubines: “Saffiyah”, one of Prophet Muhammad’s wives, was a prisoner of war; “Maria” was given to him as a gift. Our prophet married both of these women. These two women are mentioned in the Qur’an [in Surat At-Tahrim and Al-Ahzab] as “wives” of Rasulullah [Messenger of Allah].

Today, slavery has been completely abolished and traditions have been replaced by local and universal law. Under today’s conditions, this concept must be interpreted to cover women living in concentration camps, women’s shelter and social services and protection institutions.

304 See Footnote No. 77.

305 See Footnote No. 37.

306 See Footnote No. 27.

307 See Footnote No. 37.

308 See Footnote No. 8.

309 See Footnotes No. 37 and 52.

310 See Footnote No. 91.

311 See Footnote No. 71.

312 See Footnote No. 49.

313 The literal meaning of the Ayah is as follows: “The Tur [Mount], the Scripture that is written on spread thin hide [parchment], the prosperous house, raised ceiling, filled/ignited seas are evidences that the punishment of your Rabb will surely come and no one can prevent it”.

314 The term samaas mentioned in this statement refers to beyond of all universe/material world, “the apex” (for detailed information on the term sama, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an; vol. 1, pp. 526-527). The mankind, by its nature, stares at the heavens/universe while thinking about Allah. Likewise, one holds his hands up to the sky when praying. And people invoke Allah when in trouble by looking up into the sky. And extraordinary cases are traditionally expressed with the phrase “dropped from the sky”. And all Scriptures sent down by Allah are collectively named “Celestial/Heavenly Books”. Therefore, whenever one thinks about Allah, by his nature, he looks up into the sky and not onto the ground.

315 See Footnote No. 27.

316 See Footnote No. 37.

317 We rearranged this passage (Ayat 4-12) to the end of the main passage so “that which will be fulfilled” may be understood better.

318 See Footnote No. 303.

319 See Footnote No. 27.

320 The literal meaning of the Ayah is as follows: “Those who pull as if soaking into water/soaking; those who pull without forcing and those who swim away; and those who get ahead and do a trick are the evidences that that”. We used the metaphorical meaning.

321We rearranged the Ayat of the Surah An-Nazi’at in the Official Mushaf differently due to technical reasons and semantics.

322 See Footnote No. 8.

323 We rearranged this Ayah, which is the 46th Ayah in the Official Mushaf, to this position due to its context.

324 See Footnote No. 303.

325 We rearranged this Ayah, which is the 47th Ayah in the Official Mushaf, to this position due to its context.

326 See Footnote No. 8.

327 We rearranged Ayat 14-17 in the Official Mushaf between Ayat 23 and 24.

328 The 33th Ayah has been interpreted by Interpreters and Commentators as follows; “But they were not sent as guardians upon the believers”. This interpretation does not comply with the technical structure of the Ayah. Furthermore, those who were not sent as guardians/appointed as messengers, those who are accused of pervasive behavior and those whose affairs were laughed upon were, under guidance of the Surat An-Nisa/80; Al-Isra/54; Ash-Shura/48; Al-An’am104, 107; Hud/86; Al-A’raf/60-61; Ya-Sin/47; Al-Mulk/9, 29; and Az-Zukhruf/47 of the Official Mushaf, some of those believers, i.e. messengers of Allah.

329 Remaining Ayat of the Qur’an are considered as Medinan Ayat. The Messenger of Allah emigrated from Mecca to Medina and the people of Medina appointed him their president. The target group of Rasulullah [The Messenger of Allah] was the hypocrites in the first place, and then the Jews living in the vicinity of Medina. The Ayat of the Qur’an from this point forth deal with the statements aimed at the hypocrites and the Jews in general and the essential principles of the Islamic Nation.

330 See Footnote No. 8.

331 See Footnote No. 52.

332 See Footnote No. 96.

333 The events mentioned herein are those that are dealt with in the Surat Al-A’raf/138-155 and Ta-Ha/80-98 (Division: 120). The term fawq that is originally contained within the Ayah serves as both the particle “above”, antonym of “lower”; and also infinite form of the verb faqah which itself means being exalted above someone else in terms of honor and virtue. Moreover, the term fawq is usually used to express spiritual exaltedness. See. Official Mushaf: Az-Zukhruf/32; Al-Baqara/212; Ali-Imran/55; Al-An’am/18 and Al-A’raf/127. The Israelites mentioned herein are the lower ones and Moses is the exalted one.

334 In this passage, Allah shows how ambiguous statements should be interpreted. It is understood that the term cattle mentioned within the Ayat is used to mean “gold”. Therefore, the involuntary slaughter of the cattle implies that Israelites abstained from worshipping gold involuntarily.

335 Affairs of the leaders are always attributed to their people. Ultimately, a leader acts on behalf of his people. Although only a man from among the people of Thamud slaughtered the she-camel by cutting her ankles (abolished the duty of Salah), in some Ayat, this is attributed to the people of Thamud as a whole.

336 We rearranged the 62nd Ayah, which is an independent division in the Official Mushaf, due to semantic reasons, so it now follows the passage that deals with Israelites.

337 See Footnote No. 329.

338 [ Jibril [Gabriel], which means “Allah’s recovery, Allah’s restoration”, is a quality of the Ayat of the Qur’an. Contrary to the public opinion thereof, there are actually no angels who convey revelations from Allah to His messengers. Allah imposes His revelations directly into the brain of His messengers. Jibril/Gabriel is not the one who brings down but what is sent down. Any interpretation or translation opposes this fact is incorrect and thus contradicts with the Qur’an. Likewise, the name Michael, which was borrowed from Hebrew into Arabic and means “the great chief who guards and protects”, represents the qualities of Rasulullah (which are mentioned in Tawbah/128). Concisely, Michael, who is mentioned in the Qur’an, is “Rasulullah/Muhammad” himself. For details see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

339 Due to semantic reasons, we rearranged the Ayat of this passage differently than the Official Mushaf.

340Certain aspects mentioned in the passage of Hajj, given to ensure that the passage is understood appropriately:

The known months

In traditional interpretations, the “known months” mentioned in the Ayah are described with such approaches as “Shawwal, Dhul Al-Qa’da and Dhul Al-Hijja”; “the first ten days of Shawwal, Dhul Al-Qa’da and Dhul Al-Hijja”. These approaches are, in a sense, continuations of the understanding that predates the revelation of the Qur’an. And as a consequence, the Hajj (Pilgrimage) –unfortunately – has long been performed in the month of “Dhul Al-Hijja”.

As can be clearly understood from the Surah Al-Baqara/197 (Division: 422), for the Hajj, our Rabb sets forth a term that comprises multiple months (three months at least). This means, Muslims should form a “Hajj Organization Committee” or “Directory of Hajj”, an institution that will determine Hajj terms, and declare it to the public; so everyone will apply to the aforementioned Committee or Directory within the determined term.

Hady

Hady is “the livestock that is shipped (as gift) to Kaaba to provide catering needs of those who fulfill Hajj”. Livestock was the most appropriate item in the period when the Qur’an was revealed.

Ihram

According to the statements mentioned in the Surah Al-Baqara/196 (Division: 422) and also the Surah Al-Ma’idah/1, 2, 95, 96 (Divisions: 672 and 690); the one who fulfills Hajj will refrain from the lifestyle in his civil life, uttering evil talk, having sexual intercourse, committing petty or major crimes, bearing animosity and grudge and hunting.

These provisions entered into literature under the title “Ihram” (Prohibition). However, the term “Ihram” has taken on a new meaning and become the name of the seamless, shroud like clothing item that is worn during the Hajj. The reason for this is that this clothing symbolizes that anyone, who intends to go to Hajj (Pilgrimage) and has applied to the Committee or Directory of Hajj, as a believer who has been trained in the Abrahamic tradition, gets rid of his business, feudal, social, racial, sexual identity and his wealth, children and other assets, i.e. all his previous life; and goes as Abraham before Him, leaving his wealth and children behind and saying, “I go to my Rabb; to serve my Rabb”.

Arafat and Al-Ma’shar Al-Haram (Muzdalifah)

In the Surah Al-Baqara/198 (Division: 422), our Rabb commands the believers who have fulfilled pilgrimage: “And when you depart from Arafat; remember Allah immediately in Mash’ar al-Haram”. In order to fulfill this command, the terms “Arafat” and “Al-Mashar Al-Haram” must be comprehended fully.

Arafat

The term Arafat is a derivative of the root “arf” which means “the knowledge, the wisdom”. As is known, the word Arafat has become famous as the name of a region located in the vicinity of Mecca. In fact, as mentioned within the Qur’an, Arafat is “where teachers and students are; centers of education and knowledge”. It comprises all permanent and temporary education and training centers that are established within the vicinity of Mecca during Hajj period.

Al-Ma’shar Al-Haram

The term “Ma’shar al-Haram” mentioned in the Ayah takes the definitive form by being mentioned as “Al-Ma’shar Al-Harame” thus serving as a proper name. Its meaning is “theuntouchable place, a place where one receives knowledge-becomes aware”. It is the name of the area that is located between the Arafat and the Mina region (some consider it being the name of a part of it).

The command of our Rabb, “And when you depart from Arafat; remember Allah immediately in Mash’ar al-Haram”, is fulfilled when the believers who study at the schools established in the vicinity of Mecca visit Al-Ma’shar Al-Haram on predetermined dates and perform “Remembrance Service for Allah”.

Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah

“Dhikrullah = Remembrance of Allah” is not uttering the name of Allah repeatedly with beads in hand, as traditionally performed. “Dhikrullah = Remembrance of Allah” is to contemplate about the rights of Allah over us, His servants, and His blessings He bestows upon us; to continuously check if we fulfill our liabilities to Him; to fulfill each and every one of His commands; to repay for His blessings and to maintain this conscience.

The numbered days

In the Surah Al-Baqara/203 (Division: 422), our Rabb commands, “And remember Allah during the numbered days”. The “numbered days” mentioned by Allah here is both plural and indefinite. Therefore, these days will also be determined by the Hajj Organization Committee or Directory of Hajj.

Bara’e (Ultimatum); final declaration

As is known, Rasulullah (the Messenger of Allah) organized a travel to Hajj [Pilgrimage] in 10 After Hijra, and personally participated, and this travel to Hajj was called “Al-Hajj Al-Akbar” (The Greater Hajj) because of his participation. According to narrations thereof, about hundred and fourteen thousand Muslims participated this Hajj. The final declaration of this Hajj was made by our Rabb with the revelation of the first twenty nine Ayat of the Surah At-Tawbah (Division: 695).

For more detailed information on the Hajj, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

341 Due to semantic reasons, we rearranged the Ayat of this passage different than the Official Mushaf.

342Sawm (fasting) means “refraining from eating, drinking, speaking and having sexual intercourse”. And the Sawm performed without taking the article of “no speech” into account is not the Sawm that is stipulated in Islam for the purpose of guiding the mankind to the piety/custody of Allah. Those who have liabilities and patients are not obliged to fast; yet those who do must do it appropriately.

343 Due to semantic reasons, we rearranged the Ayat of this passage different than the Official Mushaf.

344 The term ila, which basically means “the abstinence of husband from having sexual intercourse with his wife for a definite or indefinite term, under oath, or binding himself to certain conditions as sacrificing an animal or such another condition”, is a type of oath that may lead to abolishment of the marriage. Any man who was angry with his wife used this way to psychologically distress his wife.

Used as a means of divorce by the Arab population of the Hejaz region before Islam, ila was used to suppress women and harm or distress them due to long-term or indefinite nature of it. When a man who performed ila on his wife did not do his husbandly duties and because of that the marriage remains in effect until the end of the ila term, woman can not be considered divorced and live under distress for the duration of the said term. The Qur’an abolished this persecution by limiting the term of ila to four months. Husband must reconcile with his wife within this term by ransom, if not, the bind of marriage becomes invalid at the end of the four-month term. Islam brought new principles and radical solutions in marital law and many matters that than that thus abolished the absolute dominion of man within the family.

345 According to the Qur’an, Mehir is the “life insurance” of women. This rule is imposed not because of the weakness of women but they must be protected – due to the importance of their social and cultural role -. In the case a woman becomes a widow, providing her with an asset or a cash amount during the term of “iddah” (waiting period) would relieve her from struggling to make her living, away from her home and burdened with distress. Thus, women can live without the risk of harassment, rape or molestation. In short, Allah commands women to be provided with the mehir to honor, protect and save them from being a victim. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

346 The Salah, which is mentioned as As-Salah al-Wusta in this Ayah is the “Salah that is fulfilled on the day of gathering”. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

347 See Footnote No. 246.

348 The term Riba means “increase, reproduction, swelling”. While Riba also means “interest”, it is used as a legal term that means “uncovered surplus” in exchange. That is, riba covers not only the surplus in monetary transactions but also the surplus in the exchange/trading of assets. The Ar-Riba that is forbidden by Allah is the interest or payment received without any expense or service, i.e. taking a share from the revenue of the payee without any risk thereof whatsoever. In other words, Allah forbids the “surplus” that is obtained without any “service” or “risk”. For detailed information on the Riba, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

349 The war that is mentioned herein and the events occurred during that war are related to the Battle of Badr. Badr is a town that is located to the south-west of Medina, some 120 km to Medina and 20 km to the Red Sea and is one of the stations on the Spice Route.

Meccan polytheists were sending troops to Medina for the purpose of damage lest Rasulullah (the Messenger of Allah) and his companions who had settled in Medina would come back upon them. Furthermore, a group in Medina, who were uncomfortable with the settlement of the believers there led by Abd-Allah ibn-Ubayy ibn-Salul, who were about to be crowned but whose inauguration was called off with the arrival of Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] was against their presence in Medina. The people of Medina chose Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] as their president in place of Abd-Allah ibn-Ubayy ibn-Salul.

Upon such preference of the community and the fact that most of his relatives had converted to Islam, Abd-Allah ibn-Ubayy ibn-Salul decided that it would be better for himself and his companions to join with the Muslims so they pretended to have converted to Islam. This marked the beginning of the movement of hypocrisy in Medina.

The grudging polytheists serving in the government of Mecca cooperated with their ally in Medina, Abd-Allah ibn-Ubayy ibn-Salul and planned to evacuate Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and his companions out of Medina, even annihilate them; with this purpose, they wrote a letter to Abd-Allah ibn-Ubayy ibn-Salul, stating: “You have been hosting our people. You either kill Muhammad or drive him out of your city or we will attack upon you and kill your men and take your women as our prisoners”.

Upon receiving this letter, polytheists of Mecca and hypocrites of Medina cooperated. Accordingly, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and the believer beside him would be killed or driven out of Medina.

Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and the believers became aware of this plan and plotted a countermeasure thereof. At the time, Allah was determining a new strategy for the believers; declaring them to fight [to die and to kill] when it is necessary to eliminate evil, injustice and chaos on the earth. Believers had to fight to protect their religion, lives and nation.

Meanwhile, Meccan polytheists were threatening the Muslims; marauding troops that they sent to Medina were causing damage to them. Most recently, they sent a trade caravan, which was formed with the cooperation of Meccan polytheists and commanded by Abu Sufyan, to Syria; their purpose was to wage a war by using the revenue obtained through that caravan and thus dealing the deathblow to the Muslims.

Having become aware of this, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah; Peace Be Upon Him] consulted with his companions. They decided that the aforementioned caravan had to be prevented from arriving to Mecca so an army of 305 men – 83 Muhajirun [Emigrants], 61 from Banu Aws and the rest from Banu Khazraj – was gathered. They had 3 horses and 70 camels.

350 The “horses”, which were the most perfect battle tools of the time when the Qur’an was revealed, correspond to today’s “air troops, aircraft carriers, intercontinental missiles, nuclear weapons, etc.”.

351 See Footnote No. 8.

352 This passage, in which the misbelieves of Christianity are disclosed, deals with a committee that travelled from Najran to Medina to discuss with Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah].

353 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf.

The main subject here is the sending of Jesus to Israelites and reasons. Moses and Aaron were sent to teach the revelation and oneness to Israelites but also save them from slavery in Egypt. In this passage, it is summarized that, upon declaration of the revelation by Jesus, he was assigned such tasks as performing preventive medicine, optics, dermatology, teaching consumption of healthy food, preparation of canned food, pickles, molasses, brine, stocking of wheat, barley, legumes and protection of these from humidity and insects for saving Israelites from the epidemics surrounded them, taking precautions against recurrence of them and providing sustenance for them.

In the Ayah, which we translated as “surely, I design for you a clay; mud; ceramic object; thurible (censer) that resembles a bird”, object of the verb “design” was not mentioned in the original Ayah and left open for the interpretation of the readers. While no “bird figure” or “bird model” is mentioned within the Ayah, the phrase is so constructed to imply the meaning, “I will design something that resembles a bird figure or something like a bird model”. What mentioned here is that Jesus makes a clay thurible in the form of bird and blows the spices that he puts inside it thus repelling mosquitoes, flies and other insects that may cause eye diseases, etc. It is obvious that most of the thuribles made today are in the form of a bird.

Also, subject of the verb “fayaqunu (it will be)” is not mentioned in the ayah and left open for the interpretation of the readers.

These facts that are deducted from the literal meaning of the Ayat are supported by the Qumran (Dead Sea) Scrolls of Essenes, which have been deciphered recently. It seems like Jesus left the community he was born into and received training in medicine and preparation and preservation of food among the Essenes; then, when he became an adult, was sent to Israelites as a prophet. (QUMRAN (DEAD SEA) SCROLLS: Diagnosis of a skin disorder: [4Q266, sec. 6 I (4Q272, 273 4 ii, 269 7), 4Q266, sec. 6], Rules for Harvesting Crops and Collecting Tributes: [4Q271, sec. 2 (4Q269, sec. 8 i-ii; 270, 3 iii)], Book of the War: [4Q285, sec. 8], Book of the War: (11Q14), Parchment of the Temple: [(11QT=11Q19-21, 4Q365a, 4Q524), XLVI, XLVIII, XLIX], Tohorot (Purities): (4Q274 3 i-ii), Harvesting Crops: [(4Q284a) Section 1] “Dead Sea Rolls Qumran Scripture” Geza VERMES, translation: Nurfer CELEBIOGLU)

355 With this Ayah, a tradition of the era of the ignorance [Az-Zihar] was abolished. According to Arabic tradition, when a man resented his wife for whatever reason, he would say “You are to me as the back of my mother”. Thereupon, she would become forbidden [haram] to him although their marriage did not become void. However, as an actual divorce did not take place, woman had no choice but living in the distress of this situation. This is mentioned in the Surah Al-Mujadila/1-4 (Division: 641).

356 These Ayat deal with the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq) that took place in 5 AH. As with the Battle of Badr, Allah created many miracles during this battle. In this passage, certain scenes of the Battle of the Trench and Banu Qurayza are mentioned. In order to fully comprehend the passage and to learn about the details of the incident, encyclopedic information of the Battle of the Trench should be obtained.

Al-Ahzab [the Coalition, the Opposing Party] is the plural form of the word “Hizb” and means the Meccan clans, Banu Ghatafan, Banu Qurayza and other Arab clans (united polytheist groups) which united against the Muslims.

357 Zayd was a member of the Kalb Tribe. AS a boy, he was taken prisoner in the clan wars and sold at the Ukkaz slave market. One of the nephews of Hagira, Hakeem ibn-Hizam purchased and brought Zayd to Mecca and offered him to his aunt as a gift. When Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] married to Hagira, he found Zayd at the service of his wife. He requested him from his wife due to his kindness and good nature. Thus, the lucky boy entered into the servitude of the perfect man who would become a prophet in a couple of years. At the time Zayd was 15 year old. When his father and uncles became aware that he was in Mecca, they visited Muhammad and demanded their son back against a ransom. Muhammad said to them: “I will ask the boy whether he wants to go with you or to stay with me; he will decide. Should he want to stay with me, I will never let go a person who wants to stay with me”. They agreed. Zayd preferred to stay with Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah]. Muhammad immediately set Zayd free and declared in the Kaaba before a group of Quraysh members, “Be my witnesses, from now on, Zayd is my son. I am his successor and he is mine successor”, thus adopting Zayd. Thereafter, Zayd would be called as Zayd ibn-Muhammad. All this happened before Muhammad was prophet. Zayd became one of the first four people who believed in Muhammad after he became prophet. At the time, Zayd was 30 years old and had been serving Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] for 15 years. In 4 AH, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] married him to Zaynab, daughter of his aunt.

358 He will not send new book anymore by protecting the Qur’an and having it protected. Since there will be no new book, there will be no new messengers in the future.

Allah made Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) the last prophet and thus ending the prophethood. However, He obviously assigned this people with such tasks as warning, giving good tidings, conveying reminder, commanding the good, forbidding from the evil, which are otherwise assigned to a prophet, – as can be understood from the Surat Al-Baqara/143 (Division: 421), Ali-Imran/10, 110 (Division: 494) and Al-Hajj/78 (Division: 638).

359 See Footnote No. 345.

360 See Footnote No. 303.

361 See Footnote No. 303.

362 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we merged the 73th Ayah of the Official Mushaf with the 63rd Ayah. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

363 See Footnote No. 345.

364 See Footnote No. 303.

365 See Footnote No. 242.

366 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

367 See Footnote No. 303.

368 See Footnote No. 345.

369 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

370 See Footnote No. 303.

371 The term Junub means “that which is far/detached”. When considered under the Surat An-Nisa/43 and Al-Ma’idah/6, it can be understood that this term basically means “a vagabond who has lost his balance and thus can not act with common sense due to surge in lust, incontinence”. Insomuch as, under such conditions, one can lose his ties with the real world and his common sense. So it seems that being Junub is not the condition of being not cleaned after ejaculation, but the tension that builds between the surge in lust and the ejaculation.

372 The Surah Al-Ar’af deals with a group from among the Jews who were tested because of the Day of Mediation.

373 See Footnote No. 246.

374 See Footnote No. 246.

375 These expressions are usually interpreted as, “castrating animals, humans, etc.”. However, the “change” mentioned herein should be expounded as follows; “to mutate the genes of the living things, sanctifying and idolize such entities as the Moon, the Sun, the earth, soil, etc, which were created for the benefit of the mankind, forbidding the beasts which were created for the mankind to ride and eat, sanctifying such animals as Al-Bahira (animals milk of which is reserved for idols), Al-Saiba (animals which are set free in the name of deities so they may not be utilized for carrying burden), Wasila (a she-camel which delivers female cubs in its first and second pregnancies), and Ham (a male camel used for breeding), transgressing allowed limits for sexuality and performing homosexual acts, performing unauthorized circumcision, ultimately, disturbing the natural balance”.

376 See Footnote No. 333.

377 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

378 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

379 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. Furthermore, we gave the Surah Az-Zalzala of the Official Mushaf as the adverb of manner of the Ayah 172. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

380 See Footnote No. 353.

381 See Footnote No. 8.

382 See Footnotes No. 37 and 52.

383 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

384 See Footnote No. 353.

385 See Footnote No. 353.

386 See Footnote No. 49.

387 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

388 See Division No. 450, 452, 514 and 601.

389 This passage deals with the exile of the Jewish clans, which betrayed their covenants with the believers, cooperated with Meccan polytheists and native hypocrites, from Medina. When reading the passage, one should take this historical background into account also at least encyclopedic information thereof should be obtained.

390 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

391 The “ifq” incident was a negating propaganda and defamation movement waged by the infidels against the private life of Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] using the fanaticism among the local and clan members to wear out Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and the believers, disintegrate the Muslim community, sow discord among Rasulullah [the Messenger o Allah] and his companions, especially Abu Bakr, set Muhajirun [Emigrants] and Ansar [Helpers] against each other. This movement proved successful and two Muslim groups was about to fight each other with swords. Events were prevented by the intervention of Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah]. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

392 See Footnote No. 353.

393 See Footnote No. 303.

394 See Footnote No. 303.

395 The literal meaning of the Ayah is as follows; “Whoever have thought that Allah would not help him in the world and in Akhirat [Afterlife], should extend a reason into the sky, then … cut it. Then he should observe if his plan would remove that which enrages him [that which preoccupies him]!”. When the Ayat of the Qur’an are considered, it can be seen that turning to the sky means “to expect the mercy of Allah and Allah rains good from the heavens”. For detailed review thereof, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

396 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

397 See Footnote No. 355.

398 Request for “overstate yourselves” is a strategy that is used to intimidate the enemy in case of war and other extraordinary cases. Otherwise, it does not mean to leave.

399 See Footnote No. 91.

400 Here, the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty and the Pledge of Ridwan [Pleasure] are dealt with. It had been 6 years since the Hijra and no one could have contacted his nation and relatives. Longing and homesickness hit the Muhajirun [Emigrants] and Ansar [Helpers] were longing for the Kaaba. For this reason, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] instructed those who wished to travel to Mecca to prepare. On the first Monday of Dhu al-Qadah [March 13th, 628 AD], 1400 men set out for Mecca. To show that their purpose was peaceful, they took no weapons but a blade called the traveler’s sword. Meccan polytheists, who became aware of this, decided to prevent Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] from entering Mecca at all costs and to ensure that he would not get close to Mecca, they sent a troop of 200 horsemen led by Khalid ibn al-Walid. Meanwhile, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and his companions arrived to the Hudaybiyyah area that is located in the vicinity of Mecca. Rasulullah sent an envoy to Mecca to declare their purpose and to learn about the attitude of the Meccan polytheists against their presence, who would inform that they did not intend to fight but only to visit Kaaba and they would return upon completion of their Umrah. However, the polytheists tried to kill the envoy by hitting his camel and causing him to fall. Some foreigners intervened and saved the life of the envoy. The envoy returned and informed Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] thereof. The Meccan polytheists considered the entrance of the believers to Mecca a great dishonor to them and thought that in such a case Arabs would disgrace them. Upon such suggestion, Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] sent Uthman ibn-Affan, who still had influence and many affluent relatives in Mecca, to Quraysh. Initially, Uthman ibn-Affan conveyed the message of Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and said: “We have not arrived to wage a war, we have come for Pilgrimage only”. The Quraysh said to Uthman ibn-Affan: “Visit Kaaba if you wish; but we can not let all of you to enter Mecca and visit Kaaba”. Upon his denial, they took Uthman ibn-Affan into custody in Mecca. While the belief that Uthman ibn-Affan had been killed had spread among the believers, Rasulullah invited all believers to pledge. All the believers pledged to him that they would not evade the war at all costs, even death. This is mentioned in the 10th, 18th and 19th Ayat of the Surah. From these Ayat forth, this pledge was called “the Pledge of Ridwan [Pleasure] and the tree under which the pledge took place was called the Sajarat ar-Ridwan [the Tree of Pleasure]. Thereafter, it was learnt that the news of Uthman ibn-Affan’s death was false. In the meantime, envoys from both sides were shuttling between and a solution for agreement was sought. The polytheists were determined not to let the believers enter Mecca. On the other hand, Rasulullah offered peace bay stating: “We are not here to fight. Our only purpose is to visit Kaaba and Pilgrimage. The Quraysh have gotten weak in wars. I would like to sign a treaty with them if they will. It would be good if they accept but otherwise I will fight with them till I fall”. The Meccan polytheists could not risk to fight due to the determination of Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] and released Uthman ibn-Affan and other Muslims who had been kept prisoner in Mecca. Then they sent a committee led by Suhayl ibn-Amr to Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah] to sign a treaty. Accordingly; 1) the Muslims and the polytheists would not fight for 10 years; 2) the Muslims would not visit Kaaba for one year and go back to Medina but visit Kaaba in the following year, they would stay in Mecca, evacuated by the polytheists, for three days and carry no weapons but aforementioned traveler’s sword; 3) should a Meccan citizen convert to Islam and takes refuge in Medina, he would be returned; yet should a Medinan citizen take refuge in Mecca, he would not be returned; 4) Arab clans would be free to sign a treaty with any party.

The Muslims frustrated upon seemingly disadvantageous nature of the conditions and said to Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah]; “Are you not Rasulullah [the Messenger of Allah]? Is our cause is the truth? Why should we accept this people?”. After camping 19 days in Hudaybiyyah, they set out for Medina. This Surah was revealed while they were travelling back to Medina.

401 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

402 See Footnote No. 345.

403 The phrase, “Allah did not make Al-Bahira, As-Sahiba, Wasila and Ham.But the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb invent lies about Allah. And most of them do not reason” denies certain religious traditions of the Arabs of the era of the Ignorance. Arabs of the era of the Ignorance had many false beliefs regarding to animals such as: Al-Bahira: Arabs considered it a sin to ride and load a she-camel which had given birth for five times; they also would not cut its hair. If fifth cub was a male, they would sacrifice it but they would split its ears if it was female. This would mark it as having been sacrificed. As-Saiba: When one of them got ill or lost something or a misery emerged, they would wow to release a camel. When their patient got well or the lost item was found or the misery perished, they would set free a camel; they would not load, ride or sacrifice that camel. They would just set it free. Wasila: When an ewe delivered twins, a female and a male, they would not slaughter the male and say, “His sister has reached him”. And such an ewe was called an Wasila. Ham: When ten cubs were born of a male camel or a male camel saw the cub of his own cub (i.e. became grandfather), they would not load, ride it and say, “He has saved himself”.

404 The greatest Hajj was the one the Prophet participated and managed in person.

405 Due to technical and semantic reasons, we rearranged this passage differently than the Official Mushaf. For detailed information, see Tebyinu’l Qur’an.

406 Hunayn is a vast valley that is located between Mecca and Ta’if, in the Tihama Region. After the conquest of Mecca, Muslims and the polytheists of Hawazin fought the Battle of Hunayn in this valley.

407 The term nasee expresses the refraining of Arabs from following the haram [forbidden] months and their efforts to degenerate them.

408 In these Ayat, Muslims are reproached, behaviors of the hypocrites and the pleasure seekers are condemned and Muslims are instructed to make their best efforts in the path of Allah with their wealth and lives and without making any excuses, under any condition, harsh or insignificant.

The Battle of Tabuk mentioned within this passage (Tabuk is the name of a fertile area with abundant water sources and date palms that is located between Medina and Damascus) was a military expedition initiated in 9 AH from Medina toward Damascus with the intention to fight the 40.000 man Byzantium army. To fully comprehend this subject, at least encyclopedic level information on the Battle of Tabuk should be obtained.

]]>http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?feed=rss2&p=8100SALAHhttp://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=622
http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=622#respondWed, 14 Oct 2015 08:21:01 +0000http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=622 SALAH MEANING OF الصّلوة [SALAH] It seems possible that the word الصّلوة [salah] has been derived from the roots of ص ل ى [saly] and ص ل و [salv] as a structure. It may have been derived from both ... Read More »

It seems possible that the word الصّلوة [salah] has been derived from the roots of ص ل ى [saly] and ص ل و [salv] as a structure. It may have been derived from both roots according to the grammar rules. It is because both of the words of ص ل ى [saly] and ص ل و [salv] are “nakıs” [a word that has harf-i illet] as their last letters are “harf-i illet” [a letter that may disappear or convert to another letter] and when a word is derived from these roots, the harf-i illets [a letter that may disappear or convert to another letter] at the end of the roots are omitted and turn into another letter. In such case, some complications may appear if no serious analysis is conducted about the root from which the new word is derived. Hence, in the inflection of many of the forms from the root of ص ل و [salv], the letter of و [vav] turns into ى ]ya] as a result of change and the words formed in this way seem to have formed from the root of ص ل ى [saly] at first sight.

In such cases, the first thing to do to understand the message of the Qur’an accurately is to take look at the meanings of the roots from which the word might have been derived. Therefore, we started our analysis with the roots of the words of ص ل ى [saly] andص ل و [salv] from which the word الصّلوة [salah] may have derived.

صلى [saly, sıla] means “cooking, burning, throwing on fire, resting and leaning”. The word is used with this meaning in the surah Haqqah:

Surah Haqqah 31:

Then throw him into Jahannah [Hell] [صلّوه/sallûhû].

In addition, the word took place many times in the Qur’an in different forms derived from this root, such as إصلوها [islavha], يصلى [yesla], وسيصلون [veseyeslavne], ساصليه [seüslîhi], لايصلاها [la yeslaha] and also in the same meaning. For example, the word المصلّين [musallîn] derived from the root of صلى [s-l-y] is used not as “someone providing support, helping” but as “leaning on the back or thigh of an animal”.[1]

The word صلى[saly] is also the source of the words of “throwing” and “resting, leaning” in Turkish.

However, if it is assumed that the root of the word salah, our subject matter, is saly, it will be necessary to accept that all the الصّلوة [salah] words and their derivatives mentioned in the Qur’an mean “throwing into fire, resting, leaning” in which case, it will be necessary from, for example, the imperative of صلّ [salli] with the expression of “throw into” in the surah Al-Kawthar or of صلّواعليه [sallû aleyhi] in Surah Al-Ahzab 56, to infer the meaning of “Throw/swing him [Mohammed] into fire”. As a result, there is no possibility to establish a meaning relation between الصّلوة [salah], which means “help, support, struggle, endeavor” and صلى [saly], which means “throwing into fire, resting onto fire, cooking, and burning”.

ص ل و [salv]: The word that means “thigh, back” as a noun is explained as follows: صلو [salv] means “The back of a person and a four-legged animals and the area between buttocks, and knee of a person and a four-legged animals”[2]

In line with this meaning, when it is used as a verb, the word means “thigh-ing, shouldering” and “thigh-ing”, which is a movement of positioning the thigh [the area of the leg between the knee and the buttocks] horizontally and extending it beneath a load and “shouldering”, which means taking a load on the back, express support of a load.

According to us, the root of the word salah is not saly but salv. The actual form of the word is صلوة [salvet] and as the root word is nakıs [a word that has harf-i illet at the end], as required by the general grammar rules, the word صلوة [salvet] has turned into the form of الصّلوة [salah]. Hence, in the word صلوات [salavat], the plural form of the word, و [vav] that is the actual letter of the root word appears expressly. This situation applies to many other words as well. For example, the infinitive of the ğaza [warred] is غزوة [ğazve] and the plural of ğazve becomes غزوات [ğazevat]. In the other verb inflections, ğaza‘s “vav” either transforms into ى [ya] or is omitted. It is already because there is agreement in terms of the fact that the word salah derived from the root of s-l-v and, in order to prevent a confusion of meaning, the word salah is not written like الصلاة with ا [elif] but like الصّلوة with و [vav] in the mushafs[3].

On the other hand, the meaning of the word صلّى [salla] (whose infinitive is salah) derived from the root of صلو [s-l-v] is explained in the Al-Qiyamat 31-32 in the manner that it would not allow any misunderstanding:

As it is seen, four actions are mentioned in the above sentence and two of them are shown as the opposite of other two, which is as follows: While as the opposite of صدّق [saddaqa], كذّب [kezzebe] is used (namely, as the opposite of “confirmation” “denial, confutation” is used), تولّى [tevella] is used as the opposite of the word صلّى [salla]. As the word tevella which means “continuity” in terms of its form means “staying back continuously, turning the face back continuously, abstaining, staying careless, disinterest, passiveness, and thwarting the initiatives that are being taken”, صلّى [salla], which is opposite of تولّى [tevella] means “supporting continuously, not staying as an onlooker”.

Despite such express mentioning of its meaning in the Qur’an, the word salah has been nearly circumvented by the expression in Ragıb al-Isfehani’s work entitled Müfredat of “Majority of the dictionary experts” said salah; ‘pray, congratulation, and exalting”.

As a result, it is possible to summarize the meaning of the word الصّلوة [salah] as “to support, help, shoulder the problems, to undertake the solutions of the problems”. However, it is necessary to state that the problems here cover not only the individual problems but also social problems. Hence, it is not correct to reduce the meaning of the word الصّلوة [salah] to the dimension of “helping the people nearby”; it is necessary to think widely that it covers the dimension of “supporting and illuminating the society and shouldering, undertaking, and solving its problems”. The manner of realizing the help and support to be provided has two dimensions as “mental” and “financial”.

Salah, with its mental side, is to illuminate the individuals, thus the society, through education and training, to ensure their maturity, and direct them to the surest way;

With its financial side, salah means to help the needy people with work opportunities and assurance systems, shoulder them in their difficult times, and thus eliminate the problems of the society.

إقام الًصّلوة[IQAMI’S-SALAH= ESTABLISMENT OF SALAH]

The impressions in the Qur’an regarding “establishing salah” in the form of imperative and indicative phrases have so far been translated as “establish prayer accurately; they establish their prayer accurately”. The analysis we conducted in terms of the meanings of the words shows that these words were insufficient and even wrong in terms of reflecting the meaning of the expression.

As it is seen, the expression consists of the words of إقام[iqam] and الصّلوة [es-salah]. As the meaning of the word salah is explained above, we will analyze the word إقام[iqam] here.

The word إقام [iqam] consisting of the letters of قوم [q-v-m] is the infinitive of the word qıyam, which is the opposite of the verb of “sitting” from the if‘al bab [if’al type four letter verb by adding an “e” to the beginning of the three letter verb] and the meaning of this form is determined in the dictionaries as “making it stand up, erecting, keeping standing”.

Accordingly, the meaning of the determinative group of إقام الصّلوة [iqami’s-salah] is “realization of the works of undertaking and eliminating the problems with the assistance and support in mental and financial aspects and sustaining it; that is to say keeping them standing”. Expression of this by concretization, “establishment of salah” is:

In mental grounds; inauguration of schools, public houses, and public education centers, and keeping them standing,

In financial grounds; opening of job areas; constitution of the security systems like retirement funds etc.; shouldering their problems by supporting the poor and the orphans-including making the singles and widows get married; establishment of the institutions for solving their problems; and keeping them standing by sustaining them.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SALAH AND WHO ESTABLISHES IT?

Purpose of salah in mental grounds is to illuminate a person by means of convincing, making them to reach rüşd [the most righteous and the most sound, ability to distinguish between good and evil] and keeping the relation between Allah and the servant alive:

The word rüşd [the most righteous and the most sound, ability to distinguish between good and evil] means “consciousness of distinguishing the right and wrong, mental maturity, entering into the right path by finding it, and reaching the maturity of doing the good and right things”. Thus, our Rabb[4] stated in the Qur’an that rüşd is the truest and strongest thing by expressing that the Qur’an guides them to “the path of the ability of distinguishing between good and evil” (Surah Al-Jinn 2) and “the most righteous and the most sound” (Surah Al-Isra 9). Accordingly, it is possible to describe the word rushd in view of the Qur’an as “To reach and live the maturity stipulated by Islam”. However, guidance of humans to rüşd is realized in the Qur’an not as “brainwashing or bewitching” but “by raising consciousness by means of making them use their reason” that is to say “convincing” them. Hence, the purpose of salah [mental support] that is conducted through the Qur’an’s explanations is nothing but making people reach the rüşd by convincing them. This issue was confirmed by our Rabb by means of stating that the purpose of the salah conducted by Himself and His angels [the support they provide] taking the people out to the light from all the darkness:

Surah Al-Ahzab 43:

43,44He[5] is the One Who supports you to bring you out from all darkness into the light. His forces of the nature/harbinger Ayat that He sends down provide support. And He is very merciful to the believers. On the day they will meet Him, their greeting will be “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]!”. And Allah has prepared for them a noble reward.

In the education-training institutions established, while the people reach the maturity to distinguish good and right from evil and wrong, they also question the relation between them and Allah and hence the “ideal human” missed by the society takes place.

Surah Ta-Ha 14:

14Surely, I am Allah Himself. There is no deity except Me. Then worship me and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] to remember me.

Zikrullah [remembering Allah] is “Thinking about the rights of Allah on us and the blessings that Allah gave to us; checking whether we have fulfilled our responsibilities towards Him; conducting completely the tasks He has charged; and thanking about his blessings and not being unthankful. It is being in this awareness at all times”.

SALAH IS ESTABLISHED WITH ZAQAH [TAX] and INFAK [AID]

The reason of the expressions of Establish salah, They established salah, and They establish salah along with the expressions of Give zaqah/tax too, They gave zaqah/tax too, and Let them give zaqah/tax too taking place in the Qur’an is that it is not possible to maintain salah without financial support; that is to say, it is the reality of impossibility that the social support and education-training institutions cannot be constituted without money, financial aid.

Following verses concerning the issue must be taken into account:

Surah Al-Baqara 277:

277Surely, those who believe, do amendatory deeds, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax will have their reward with their Rabb. And there will be no fear upon them, they will not grieve.

Surah Al-Baqara 2-4:

2-4This book; about which there is no doubt is a guidance for those who believe in the unseen, the unheard, the unknown places, who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who spend from what We have provided for them for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others, who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, who has entered under the guardianship of Allah –and they definitely believe in Akhirat [Afterlife]-.

Surah Al-Baqara 43:

43Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, acknowledge the oneness of Allah with those who acknowledge the oneness of Allah.

Surah Al-Baqara 83:

83And when We took “a certain promise” from Israelites: “You will worship none but Allah, do good to your parents, relatives, orphans and the needy, speak good to people, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax”. Then, except for a few, you turned away. And you are the ones who turn away.

Surah Al-Baqara 110:

110And you, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax! Whatever good you do for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

Surah At-Tawbah 5:

5And when untouchable months/months of hajj [pilgrimage] have passed, kill those who associate others with Allah wherever you find them, seize them, besiege them and sit for them at every observation point. But if they should repent, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax, then let their ways free. Surely, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

Surah At-Tawbah 11:

11If they repent after this, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax, then they are your brothers in religion. And We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who know.

Surah At-Tawbah 71:

71The believing men and the believing women; some of them are familiars who are protectors, guides of some others. They command the good which is accepted by everyone, forbid all that is evil, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. Those, Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d 19-24:

19-24Then, is the one who knows that which has been revealed to you from your Rabb is the truth like the one who is blind? Surely, only those who are able to comprehend;

those who fulfill their promises to Allah and who do not break the contract,

those who combine that which Allah has ordered to be combined; the faith and the good deed,

those who fear their Rabb in awe with respect, love, knowledge and who are afraid of the evil of account,

those who had patience in order to obtain the countenance of their Rabb,

those who established Salah [established and maintained the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community],

those who spent from what We had provided for them secretly and openly for the cause of Allah

and those who eliminate evil with good remember and contemplate. It is they for whom the consequence of this home; the gardens of Eden are. They, the righteous from among their ancestors, spouses and descendants will enter into the gardens of Eden. And the forces in charge/harbinger Ayat will enter upon them from every gate: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…] be upon you for what you have had patience! How excellent is the end of this home!”.

Surah Al-Hajj 34-55:

34,35And for every people with a leader, We made a way of servitude so they may mention His name over the flawless of the animals Allah has given as provision to them. So, your god is the One God. Therefore, be Muslims only for Him. Give the good tidings to those whose hearts shake with awe when Allah is mentioned, those who are patient over what has afflicted them, who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and spend from what We have provided for them for the cause of Allah, who sincerely submit to Allah.

Surah Al-Hajj 41:

Allah will definitely help those who help Him -who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, instruct that which is acceptable for all and who forbid with Wahy [Revelation] and common sense that which is considered evil, if We make them have authority and home-. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, almighty. And only to Him belongs the consequence of all matters.

Surah Al-Hajj 78:

And strive for the cause of Allah properly so you may win victory, maintain your status. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you any difficulty in the religion; the religion/lifestyle of your ancestor, Abraham. He has named you “Muslims” before and in the Qur’an so the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. Therefore, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and hold fast to Allah. He is your familiar Who guides, helps, protects. How an excellent familiar Who guides, helps, protects, how an excellent helper He is!

Surah Al-Ahzab 33:

Be staid in your houses, do not make a display as display of the former ignorance, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. – O people of the house! Truly, Allah intends to remove the impurity from you and purify you.-

Surah Fatir 18:

18And no sinner bears the sins of another. Even if the one who has many sins/who is very wealthy calls another to make him bear his sin, none of his sin will be taken from him to be borne by another one. – Even if he is a relative – Surely, you only warn those who fear their Rabb in awe with respect, love and knowledge in the desolate places and those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Whoever purifies himself is purified for himself. And return is only to Allah.

Surah Ash-Shura 36-39:

36,39And whatever thing you have been given is the enjoyment of the simple worldly life. Only a temporary benefit of the worldly life. But what is with Allah [blessings, rewards] is better and more lasting for;

those who have believed and rely only on their Rabb,

and those who avoid major of the sins and immorality and those who forgive when they are angry,

and those who respond to the call of their Rabb, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], whose affair is to “mutually find and agree upon the best conclusion of the matter” among themselves, those who spend from that which We have provided for them for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives then others,

and those who help each other when injustice and assault hits them

Surah Ibrahim 31:

31Tell my servants who believe: Let them establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and spend from that which We have provided for them openly and secretly for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance for their relatives before a day comes in which there will be no trade and no friendship.”.

Surah Ibrahim 35-41:

35-41And when Abraham once said: “My Rabb! Make this city safe! Keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols! My Rabb! Surely, idols have led many among the people astray. Then, whoever follows me, he is of me; and whoever disobeys… Then you surely are the One Who forgives much and shows great mercy. Our Rabb! I have indeed settled some of my children in a barren valley next to Your untouchable House so they might establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Our Rabb! So make the hearts of some of Your servants incline towards to them so they may repay for the blessings that You have given. And provide for them from some fruits. Our Rabb! Indeed, You know that which we conceal and that which we disclose. –And nothing is hidden from Allah in the heavens/universe and on the earth.- All praise is to Allah Who has bestowed me Ishmael and Isaac in my old age; no one else may be praised. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who hears my supplication very well. My Rabb! Make me a man who establishes Salah [establishes and maintains the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]! And from my descendants too… Our Rabb! Accept my supplication! Our Rabb! Forgive me, my parents and believers on the day when the account will be established!”.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 55:

55Your familiars who are helpers, guides, protectors are only Allah and His Messenger, and the ones who have believed, who acknowledge the oneness of Allah and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax.

Surah An-Naml 1-3:

1-3Ta, Sin. These are the Ayat of the Qur’an, an explicit book/the book which clarifies sent as a guide to the righteous path and a bringer of good tidings to those believers who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife].

Surah Luqman 2-5:

2-5These are the Ayat of that book which contains laws as a guidance to the righteous path and mercy upon those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, and those who certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife], who do good deeds –they are upon a righteous path from their Rabb. And they are the ones who will reach the salvation-.

Surah An-Nisa 77:

Have you not seen/thought about those who were told, “Restrain your hands, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax”? And when war was written upon them, a group from among them fear men in awe with respect, love, knowledge like they fear Allah in awe with respect, love, knowledge or even more. And they said: “Our Rabb! Why have you decreed war upon us, why did not You postpone us for a close time?”. Say: “Enjoyment of the world is very little. Akhirat [Afterlife], on the other hand, is better for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah and you will not be treated unjustly, not even “as much as the speck of a date seed”.

Surah An-Nisa 103:

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

Surah An-Nisa 162:

162But those who have been deep in knowledge and who believe from among those who became Jews believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before. They are the ones who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife]. They are the ones whom We will give a great reward.

Surah An-Nur 56:

56And establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax and obey the Messenger so you may receive mercy.

Surah Al-Mujadila 13:

13Are you afraid of giving sadaqa/public revenue before your private conversation? And, you did not do it. And Allah accepted your conscious repentance. Then establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is the One Who is all aware of what you do.

Surah Al-Muzzammil 20:

20Do not doubt, your Rabb knows that you stay awake for less than two-thirds, half, a third of the night. So does a group of those who are with you. Allah determines the night and the day by a measure. He has known that you will not be able to do this duty with ease so eased your duty. Then, learn and teach what is easy of the Qur’an! He has known that there will be those who are ill among you. He has known that some of them will travel through the earth seeking of the bounties of Allah, while some others will fight for the cause of Allah. Then learn teach what is easy from it! Establish/maintain Salah [financial and spiritual support; institutions that enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax19! Loan Allah a good loan! And you will find whatever good you send forth for yourselves better and you will find its reward greater with Allah. Ask Allah for forgiveness! Indeed, Allah is the One Who forgives much, shows great mercy.

Surah Al-Anfal 3:

2-4Surely, the believers are those whose hearts fear in awe when Allah is mentioned,

who get stronger in faith when His Ayat are recited to them and who rely only upon their Rabb,

who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]

and who spend from that which We have given them as provision for the cause of Allah. Indeed, these are the ones who truly believe. For them are degrees, forgiveness and a noble provision with their Rabb.

IT IS THE BELIEVERS WHO ESTABLISH SALAH

Surah At-Tawbah 18:

18Only those who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife], establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and fear Allah in awe with respect, love, knowledge build and maintain the masjid [school] of Allah. And it is expected that they will be of those who follow the righteous path they are guided.

Surah An-Nisa 101-103:

101And when you set out for a campaign on the earth, if you fear the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will harm you, then there will be no blame upon you if you shorten [shorten your education] Salah [work of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Surely, the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb are explicit enemy for you.

102And when you are among those who are on a campaign and provide training and education for them, let some of them stand/join the training with you. And let them take their weapons with them. And when they have received enough knowledge and are convinced, let them stand behind you. Then, let another group who have not yet received education and training come to join you for training and let them take precautions and carry their weapons with them. The infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb wish that you become negligent of your weapons and belongings so they may suddenly raid upon you. If a trouble reaches you from the rain or you become ill, there will be no blame upon you to leave your weapons. Take your precautions as well. Surely, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

SALAH OF ALLAH TO THE PROPHET and THE PEOPLE

Surah Al-Ahzab 43:

43He is the One Who supports you to bring you out from all darkness into the light. His forces of the nature/harbinger Ayat that He sends down provide support. And He is very merciful to the believers.

Surah Al-Ahzab 56:

56Surely, Allah and His forces in the nature/Ayat of the Qur’an that He has sent down support/help the Prophet. O you who have believed! Support/help the Prophet and maintain his security with a complete safety!

Surah Al-Hadid 9:

9Allah is the One Who has revealed explicit Ayat to His servant to bring you out from all darkness into the light. And surely, Allah is very compassionate, very merciful to you.

Surah Al-Baqara 155-157:

155,156And surely, We will surely weaken/test you with something of fear, hunger and loss of wealth, lives and crops. Give the tidings to those who are patient and who say: “We surely belong to Allah and will return only to Him” when a disaster comes to them!

157Those are the ones upon whom some supports and mercy of their Rabb are. And they are the ones who follow the righteous path they have been guided.

EXAMPLES OF IT

Surah Ali-Imran 121-127:

121And when you left your family early in the morning to post the believers at their stations for the battle. –And Allah is the One Who hears best, knows best.- 122At the time, two groups from among you were about to corrupt although Allah was their familiar Who helps, guides, protects. –Then, let the believers rely only on Allah!-.

123-127And surely, Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak so you might repay for the blessings you are given: When you said to the people: “Is it not sufficient for you that Allah has helped you with three thousand harbinger Ayat that have been sent down?”. If you have patience and enter under the guardianship of Allah, your Rabb will indeed support you. And should they come upon you suddenly, your Rabb will help you with five thousand harbinger Ayat that are marked/that train/that are sent. And Allah made it only to give you good tidings and your hearts may be assured. And this help comes from Allah Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible so Allah may eradicate or devastate a section of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb so they may turn back as losers. Therefore, enter under the guardianship of Allah.

Surah Al-Anfal 9-12:

9When you asked the help of your Rabb and your Rabb responded: “Surely, I am helping you with thousands of harbinger Ayat one after other”.

10And Allah did this only to give you the good tidings and so your hearts may be pacified. And help is only from Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

11And when your Rabb overwhelmed you with drowsiness as a security from Him. He sent down upon you a water from the sky to purify you, remove from you the evil/harm of the malicious one, strengthen your hearts and set your feet firm; make you step firm.

12And when your Rabb programmed the forces of the nature: “Surely, I am with you so give strength to those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of the infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Myself and the fact that I am Rabb, so hit them in their necks and fingertips/knuckles!”.

Surah Al-Anfal 50:

50If only you could see the forces in charge when they remind the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb one by one what they did in the past and what they failed to do while being obliged to, hitting their faces and backs.

Surah At-Tawbah 25-27:

25Surely, Allah helped you at many places and on the day of Hunayn. When your number gave you confidence but it did not avail you at all and the earth was confining for you despite its vastness. Then you turned back and fled.

26Then Allah cast upon His Messenger and upon the believers the feelings of trust and tranquility/morale which pacify the heart within themselves and descended armies which you did not see. And He punished the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. And this is the recompense of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

27Then, after all this that has happened, Allah will ordain return to whomever He wills. And Allah is very forgiving, the One Who shows great mercy.

Surah Al-Ahzab 9-15:

9O you who have believed! Remember the favor of Allah upon you. When armies came to you, then We sent upon them a wind and armies that you did not see. And Allah is the One Who sees very well what you do.

10When they came to you from above and from below you. And when eyes shifted and hearts reached the throats. And you were assuming various assumptions about Allah.

11There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shake.

12And at that time, the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease; the ill-minded were saying: “Allah and His Messenger have promised us nothing but deception”.

13And when a group from among them said: “O the people of Yathrib/Medina! There is no place for you to stay, get back immediately”. And some of them asked the Prophet for his permission, saying: “Our houses are unprotected”. Yet their houses were not unprotected. They intended only to flee.

14And if they had been entered upon from all around their houses and asked to set a social fire, they would definitely have done it. And they would not have waited long for this.

15And surely, they had given ‘a certain promise’ to Allah before that they would not turn their backs and flee. And the covenant of Allah/promises given to Allah entails a liability.

Surah Al-Ahzab 25-26:

25And Allah turned back the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb with their rage before they have obtained any good. And Allah was sufficient for the believers in the battle. And Allah is very powerful, the One Who is almighty.

26And Allah brought down those from among the People of the Book who helped the infidels, from their fortresses. And He cast terror into their hearts: you killed some of them and took captive some of them.

SALAH OF THE PROPHET: TASBIH [PURIFICATION] and REMINDER; EDUCATION-TRAINING, INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF ISLAM

One of the most significant works of the Prophet and all the prophets within the scope of the task of communicating and tabyin [good tidings, warning, reminder] is “tasbih” purifying Allah from all deficiencies, and to settle oneness. This is the Prophet’s salah as well as the salah of others.

Surah Al-Isra 78-79:

78Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] from setting/downing of the sun until the darkness of the night and ensure the learning-teaching of the day.194 Because learning-teaching of the day is worth seeing.

79And from the night. Also, additionally only for you, fulfill Salah by waking up at night! It is expected that your Rabb will take you to a good position.

Surah Ali-Imran 39:

39Then, while Zechariah was fulfilling Salah [teaching], standing on the special desk, the harbinger Ayat called him: “Surely, Allah is giving you the good tidings of John, of the righteous as the confirmer of the words of Allah, the master/the leader, a prophet of modesty”.

TASBIH

We mentioned in the analysis of Surah Al-Qalam 29 that the word تسبيح [tasbîh] in the dictionary that derived from the root of سبح [sebh], which means “moving in air and water, passing by, going away by swimming” and that its meaning in the Qur’an is that keeping Allah away from the things that do not befit Him, exalting Him, perceiving that He was equipped with all kinds of mature titles, and speaking of this loudly in every opportunity. In a nutshell, تسبيح [tasbih] is “to know the creator and make Him known with all His qualities”. Hence, tasbih is unrelated with the recital of “sübhanallah” 33 times after the prayers with 33′ and 99′ tasbihs–as mentioned in the rumors attributed to Abu Huraira.

TASBIH [PURIFICATION] OF NAME

Tasbih of a name [keeping away from deficiencies, exalting] is in fact tasbih of the owner of that name because the superiority and sanctity of the owner of a name is expressed with the superiority and purifications of the name. Even though some scholars have said “Name and its owner are the same” they all accepted that the purpose behind purifying the name is related with the purification of the owner of the name. Hence, here, the objective of “tasbih of a name” is to keeping the names and title that do not befit Him away from our Rabb.

In the period in which the Qur’an was sent down, wrong and pointless beliefs were widespread among the Arabs, such as

Angels were the daughters of Allah,

Uzayr and Jesus were Allah’s son,

Some angels and idols are helpful to get closer to Allah,

Presence of an affiliation (lineage) between Jinn and Allah. Hence, the order of “tasbih of the name” requires the names and titles reflecting such beliefs must be taken out of the names and titles of our Rabb immediately.

The Prophet must inform and train the society in this regard first; that is to say, he is required to introduce Allah accurately.

Surah Ali-Imran 41:

41Zechariah said: “My Rabb! Show me an evidence/a sign for me”. Allah said: “Your evidence/sign is that you will not speak to people except for signs for three days. And remember your Rabb much, purify Him all the time from all deficiencies”.-

Surah Al-Hijr 98-99:

98,99Then purify from all deficiencies with the praise of your Rabb, be among those who submit and worship your Rabb so “the certain knowledge” may come to you!

Surah Ta-Ha 130:

130Then be patient over what they say and introduce Allah/teach them with praise of your Rabb that He is purified from all deficiencies before the sunrise and before the sunset as well so you may be content!

Surah Al-Furqan 58:

58And you, trust and rely upon the One Who is ever living, the One Who does not die and purify Him from all deficiencies with His praise. The One Who is ever living, the One Who does not die is sufficient as being aware of sins of His servants.

Surah Al-Mu’min (Ghafir) 55:

55Then have patience. Indeed, promise of Allah is truth. Ask forgiveness of your sin and continuously purify Him from all deficiencies with the praise of your Rabb.

Surah Qaf 39-40:

39,40Therefore, be patient against what they say. And before the sun rises and sets and in a part of the night; at every turn, purify your Rabb with the praise of your Rabb. And purify Him after submissions/convincements; after making deniers believe.

Surah At-Tur 48-49:

48,49And be patient for the judgment of your Rabb. Indeed, you are before Our eyes. And when you arise, in a part of the night and setting of the stars/at the end of the divisions, purify your Rabb from all deficiencies with His praise. Purify Him from all deficiencies!

Surah Al-Waqi’ah 74 and 96:

74Then, purify the name of your glorious Rabb/keep it away from all deficiencies/teach that He is purified from all deficiencies!

96Then, purify the name of your great Rabb/teach that He is purified from all deficiencies’!

Surah Al-A‘la 1:

Purify the sublime name of your Rabb.

Surah Nasr 1-3:

1,2When the help of Allah and the conquest come and when you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in groups, 3immediately purify Him from all deficiencies with the praise of your Rabb and ask Him for forgiveness. Indeed, He is the One Who accepts repentances much, gives many opportunities to repent, ever.

Surah Haqqah 52:

52Then purify the name of your great Rabb!

REMINDER

Surah Al-Jathiyah 21-22:

21Or do those who commit evils think that We will make them, in their life and in their death, like those who have believe and do amendatory deeds? How evil they judge!

22And Allah formed the heavens/universe and the earth in truth and to recompense everyone with what he has earned. And they will not be treated unjustly.

Surah Al-An’am 70:

70And leave those who have taken their religion as amusement and diversion/who have taken amusement and diversion as their religion, whom the worldly life has deluded and remind with the Qur’an: If a person falls into a manipulation and destruction with what his own hands produced and earned, there will be no familiar who helps, guides, protects nor supporter, intercessor for him from among those that are inferior to Allah. Even though he wants to pay any price for his crime, it will not be taken from him. Those are the ones who fall into manipulation/destruction with what they earned. A drink of scalding water and a painful punishment will be for them for they were not grateful.

Surah Qaf 45:

45We know better what they say. And you are not, over them, the one who forces them. So, remind those who fear My threat with the Qur’an.

Surah Adh-Dhariyat 54-55:

54,55So, turn away from them. You are not to be blamed. And remind them. Because, reminding benefits the believers.

Surah At-Tur 29:

29Then remind them! You are not a soothsayer, the one who is supported by secret forces/is a madman by the favor of your Rabb.

Surah Al-A‘la 9-10:

9,10Therefore remind immediately, if the reminder benefits/will benefit; the one who is respectful will be reminded.

Surah Al-Furqan 52:

52Then do not obey those infidels who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb and strive against them with your best efforts, with the Furqan!

BELIEVERS MUST FULFILL SALAH [SUPPORT] FOR THE PROPHET AS ALLAH AND HIS ANGELS DO

Surah Al-Ahzab 56:

56Surely, Allah and His forces in the nature/Ayat of the Qur’an that He has sent down support/help the Prophet. O you who have believed! Support/help the Prophet and maintain his security with a complete safety!

SALAH TAKES PLACE WITH SPENDING, NOT WITH WORDS

It is very expressly stated in the Qur’an that a person cannot conduct salah from his/her place by speaking and that “spending” is certainly required for salah:

Surah At-Tawbah 99:

99And among the Bedouin Arabs are some who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife] and consider what they spend as closenesses with Allah and supports of the Messenger. Open your eyes! Indeed, this is a closeness for them. Allah will soon admit them into His mercy. Indeed, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

While this verse that specifies that salah is to be conducted with “spending” is available in the Qur’an, which is the unique source of our religion, an application of salah consisting of just “speaking” has unfortunately entered into what is believed and lived as a religion. This application which is very popular within the scope of a weird religion that is invented by the traders of the religion by the way of emptying the content of concepts and distorting the meanings of words in terms of the relation between the religion and the language is called “performing salavat”, “reciting salavat-ı sharifa”. The deformity in this issue has reached such dimensions that various “salavat” models like “Salate’n-Tunciye”, “Salate’n-Nariye”, “Salat-ı Tefriciye” etc. were created and saying them was put before all the worships. For example, after the prayer recited by the imam after prayer in the mosques, he says “Lillahi’l-Fatiha” while the congregation recites salavat by saying “Allahümme salli ala seyyidina…” instead of Surah al-Fatiha because thousands of hadiths have been fabricated regarding salavat and the intercession have been depended to it.

As evidence regarding such numerous deformed interventions in terms of forwardings to salavat –translated by falsification and wrong translation – was shown the ayah of Surah Al-Ahzab 56.

From these wrong translations, a meaning that “Allah and angels perform salavat to the Prophet and Muslims must perform salavat too” takes place.

The question of “What is the performance of salavat?” was responded in the Ilmihals/life knowledge books as saying “Allahümme salli …” etc.

In order to understand “performing salavat” or “reciting salavat-ı sharifa”, it is also necessary to refer to the Qur’an –without forgetting that the word salah means “mental and financial support:”

SALAVAT

In the Qur’an, Allah and angels perform salah not only for our Prophet but also for the believers–to bring them out to the light from all the darkness:

Surah Al-Ahzab 43:

He is the One Who supports you to bring you out from all darkness into the light. His forces of the nature/harbinger Ayat that He sends down provide support. And He is very merciful to the believers.

When this verse is compared with the following verse, it is understood better how the salah of Allah is and what it means:

Surah Al-Hadid 9:

9Allah is the One Who has revealed explicit Ayat to His servant to bring you out from all darkness into the light. And surely, Allah is very compassionate, very merciful to you.

Surah An-Nur 41:

41Have you not seen/thought about that which is in the heavens/universe and on the earth, that which flies in line [birds, bees, clouds, storms] purifies Allah from all deficiencies? Each of them certainly knows its purification and support/contribution to the nature. And Allah is the One Who knows best what they do.

As it is seen, one of the salavat of Allah; that is to say, His helps; His supports is that “He has sent down ayat that show the truth manifestly on His servants”.

In addition, it is stated that “Those are the ones upon whom some supports and mercy of their Rabb are” (Surah Al-Baqara 157) who say “We surely belong to Allah and will return only to Him” when a disaster comes to them!” when Allah weakens/tests them with something of fear, hunger and loss of wealth, lives and crops.

In addition to these, in many verses which we provided the meanings under the title of “Salah [support] to the Prophet” salavat of our Prophet is being mentioned.

Nevertheless, it is sad that there has been an understanding among the Muslims that rendered “salavat” a tong twister so far and the problems created by this understanding were not contemplated and questioned. For example, to whom, why, and how will Allah perform salavat for His Prophet and servants? It is because it is Him Who creates, makes live, Who will forgive and He is the Owner of the day of the religion. What is the logic of performance of salavat by Allah who possesses all the powers? Or have Allah and the angels set up a salavat choir and do they invite us to take part in it? To whom does salavat that is performed tens of times a day by people provide benefit and what is that benefit? If Almighty Allah will show mercy for His Prophet and forgive him, isn’t it possible for Him to forgive him directly without making us beg?

Actually, a response was fabricated for such questions; it was said that when salah is related with Allah, it means “mercy to his servants”; when related with the angels, it means “asking for forgiveness for the servants”; and when related with the servants it means “prayer”. However, they are not related with the truth and were fabricated because they could not settle the issue. As a result, such tricks did not help but complicate the issue. Because, in the surah Al-Baqara, the expression of Those are the ones upon whom some supports [salavat] and mercy of their Rabb are (Surah Al-Baqara 157) was ordered and Mercy and salavat [Support] were expressed as different things.

Hence, in order not to distant from the essence of the issue, it is necessary to turn back to the real meaning of the word salah and not to disengage from it.

However, the issue does not end here because, like the word salah, سلام [selam] and تسليم [teslim] have entered in our culture with a wrong meaning. Hence, it is mandatory to explain the expression of ve sellimu teslimen (Surah Al-Ahzab 56). It is observed that in the current translations, the expression is given a meaning –with some word differences– …and greet with complete submission. However, according to the real meanings of the words, the expression does not have such meaning. It is because the roots of the words of سلّموا [sellimû] and تسليماً [teslimen] in the ayat are selm and silm consisting of the letters of س ل م [s-l-m] and expressed with various vowel points. Regardless of which one is accepted, these roots mean “being sound”.

The expressions of sellimu and teslimen are emr-i hazir [the imperative] and infinitive from the “tef’il [tef’il type four letter verb by repeating the middle letter]” of mezidat [a verb that is formed by adding letters to a three letter verb]. The meaning in this case is “making secure, protect and provide security”. For example, the expression of sellemehullah means “Allah has protected him and ensured his security”. Thus, the meaning of the expression in the ayat that is our subject matter means “and safeguard the Prophet by way of ensuring complete security”. In order to ensure the Prophet’s security completely, it is necessary that the people around him must struggle with heart and soul. Otherwise, it is not possible to ensure the security of the Prophet with words and with the wishes in the form of tongue twisters. Hence, when these ayat were sent down, Sahabah [close friends of the Prophet] did not go aside and say, “Allahumme salli and sellim…” but started acting with all they had and with their heart and soul and supported our Prophet on the way of Allah and ensured his security this way.

Upon this explanation, translation of the verse that is our subject matter must be as follows:

Surah Al-Ahzab 56:

56Surely, Allah and His forces in the nature/Ayat of the Qur’an that He has sent down support/help the Prophet. O you who have believed! Support/help the Prophet and maintain his security with a complete safety!

In the surah that contains this verse, private life, family life, secrets and concessions of our Prophet are explained. It is necessary to consider the entire surah to understand the verse in question. If the surah is read without breaking the integrity of it in terms of subject and passages, the concept of salavat will be understood better and the consequence of those people who upset the Prophet by not performing their duty of providing support and security in line with the order of Allah will be seen (in the 57-58th ayat).

As the word يصلّون [yusallûne] mentioned in the ayah is the simple present tense, it brings the stress that Allah and the angels are “doing what is needed for the Prophet continuously” to the expression. Hence, the believers who are obliged to provide support, ensure the Prophet’s security, and endeavor for this work must not remain seated in their places but they must be in their duties at all times. As the Prophet is not among us today, this duty [the duty of ensuring support and security] must be conducted toward the persons and institutions that establish salah [that constitute and sustain mental and financial support].

After these explanations, it is beneficial to scrutinize the condition of those people who think that they perform salavat by saying, “Long live, my Sultan!” and similar tong twisters by believing in the fabricated rumors because of treachery or ignorance. The issue is as follows in our opinion:

Allah says: Surely, Allah and His forces in the nature/Ayat of the Qur’an that He has sent down support/help the Prophet. O you who have believed! Support/help the Prophet and maintain his security with a complete safety! However, they say “Allahumme salli ala muhammed and sellim… [O, Allah! You, help Muhammad, You support him, You ensure his safety…]”.

What a big contrast and what a disgusting insolence!

Nevertheless, the nature of the salah to be performed for our Prophet has been specified in the Qur’an quite expressly:

Surah At-Tawbah 99:

99And among the Bedouin Arabs are some who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife] and consider what they spend as closenesses with Allah and supports of the Messenger. Open your eyes! Indeed, this is a closeness for them. Allah will soon admit them into His mercy. Indeed, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

The words referred to as “performing salavat” in the weird religion resemble the expressions of the Israelites, “People of Moses said: “O Moses! Surely, we will never enter there as long as they are there. Then, you and your Rabb, go and fight. Surely, we are those who sit here”. (Surah Al-Ma’idah 24), and the Israelites paid a heavy price for it. These events are depicted in the Qur’an in the surah Al-Ma’idah and the Bible’s Numbers; 13-14. If Muslims understand salah and salavat in their form mentioned in the Qur’an, they will carry out the following task that is within the scope of salah–given in Al-Anfal:

Surah Al-Anfal 60:

60And collect any kind of force as you can against them and prepare war horses so you may make ideal people those who are enemy to Allah, your enemies and lower ones than those whom Allah knows but you do not. And whatever you spend for the cause of Allah will be paid to you fully and you will not be treated unjustly.

Thanks to this, getting rid of the vileness experienced for the time being will be easy; otherwise, history will keep repeating.

SALAHS OF THE ENTITIES IN THE UNIVERSE

Surah An-Nur 41:

41Have you not seen/thought about that which is in the heavens/universe and on the earth, that which flies in line [birds, bees, clouds, storms] purifies Allah from all deficiencies? Each of them certainly knows its purification and support/contribution to the nature. And Allah is the One Who knows best what they do.

In this ayah, it is stated that all the creatures in the sky and on earth purify Allah [they witness that Allah has all the best names and is purified from all deficiencies]. We also see this in the Surah Al-Isra:

Surah Al-Isra 44:

44All the heavens/universe, the earth and all that is between them purify Allah from all deficiencies. There is not anything that does not purify Allah from all deficiencies with His praise. But, you do not understand well their purifying Allah from all deficiencies. Surely, He is the One Who forbears, forgives much.

However, here, the expression of Each of them certainly knows its purification and support/contribution to the nature says that every creature has a salah [support] and they fulfill it. We know that everything in the universe was created for a reason and not in vain.

Surah Sad 27:

27And We did not form the heavens/universe, the earth and that is between them without a purpose. That is the assumption of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. Woe to those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb because of the fire of Jahannah [Hell]!

Surah Ali-Imran 190-191:

There are many evidences/signs in the formation of the heavens/universe and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day surely for those who remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides; those who contemplate over the formation of the heavens/universe and the earth: “O our Rabb! You did not form this without a purpose; purified are You from all deficiencies. Protect us from the punishment of the Fire!

The issue we would like to mention here is the expression of “that which flies in line” in the ayah. The word طير [tayr] in the ayat does not only mean a “bird” but also all kinds of flying objects ranging from bugs and birds to aircrafts and clouds. We would like to provide some information regarding some of them we remember here.

BEES

First, they produce honey to provide contributions to the humanity but they have more important duties than producing honey: Pollination. 90% of the pollination in the world is realized by bees. In the absence of bees, nothing (fruits, vegetables, cereals, etc. ) will grow on earth.

BIRDS

Birds constitute a significant ring of the food chain. In addition, they provide unbelievable support for the health and continuity of the ecosystem.

CROWS

The types of crows living in forest find acorns and keep them in tree hallows or bury into ground to eat them later but they forget where they have buried them. These acorns germinate on the course of time and become saplings, and then trees. Other types that feed on walnuts throw down the walnuts to break and eat their meat; that ones that do not break turn green and become trees in time; this way, they ensure the multiplication of the walnut trees. In addition, they play an important part in forestation and renewal of forests by carrying other seeds with their mouths or within their excretions.

Pigeons support humans in communication and hawk and falcon in hunting. Raptors hunt the living beings like the rodents, reptiles, frogs and small birds and keep their numbers under control in nature. The bird species that eat insects eat many agricultural pesticides to provide economical value and reduce the disease cases like malaria by eating mosquitoes. Vultures that eat carcasses eliminate many potential disease risks.

The phosphor cycle in nature is realized by means of the fish-eating birds. Return of phosphor from the sea to the land is realized by fishery and the excretion of the seabirds eating fish.

Supports of the energy obtained from wind and the clouds by carrying the rainwater are known by everyone.

THE BEST SALAH [ES SALATU’L-VUSTA]: THE GATHERING

Surah Al-Baqara 238-239:

238,239Collectively maintain the Salat [supporting financially and spiritually; institutions that enlighten the community] and especially the best Salah [the best of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community; Salah of the weekly gathering day]. And stand for Allah, being always respectful; work; keep education-training and social support institution operational. But if you are in a fearsome environment, then maintain, fulfill it while on foot or riding; on the move. And when you are safe and secure, remember Allah as He has taught you that which you do not know.

The expression of الصّلوة الوسطى [es-salatu’l-vusta] taking place in this verse has not yet been clarified despite many debates among the Muslims. Notwithstanding an agreement in terms of understanding this expression as “middle prayer” there have been about 40 rumors and 19 different views about which prayer is mentioned by “mid prayer”.الصّلوة الوسطى [es-salatu’l-vusta] is the “morning prayer” for some, “noon prayer” for some, and “mid-afternoon prayer” for some others. As a result, in regard to es-salatu’l-vusta, a result or reality that can be accepted by everyone could not have been reached either in the classical understanding that evaluates salah as “prayer” or in the logical approaches of the questioning mind.

We had to accept the sturdiest one as true among the current views in this regard as we did not conduct an in-depth research. However, our studies on the Qur’an and language caused us to understand the issue better and we are sharing the result here that we have obtained.

Let us state right away that we think our Prophet and first Muslims knew the salatu’l-vusta very well because regarding salatu’l-vusta, during the period of our Prophet and the Mohammad’s companions, no question was asked to our Prophet and no discussion took place.

In the start of the analysis of the subject, two issues must first be taken into account in view of the expressions in the verses:

1) The الصّلوة الوسطى [es-salatu’l-vusta] in the ayah is a determinative adjective clause. In other words, adjective and mevsuf [to be described] are with lam description and is not indeterminate. That is to say, salatu’l-vusta, which is a muarref [determinative] expression, is a proper noun and a salah known by everyone.

2) As in the expression of Maintain the salahs and salatu’l-vusta in the ayah, complement, qualified noun are present; it is understood that the salatu’l-vusta is another salah that is different from the salahs we know. Hence, it is a mistake to accept salatu’l-vusta as one of the daily salahs.

WHAT IS SALATU’L-VUSTA?

Doubtlessly, the first condition to understand an issue is to known the original language of the issue at hand. Therefore, the first thing to solve the matter is to find the true meaning of the world of الوسطى [al-vusta] in the Arabic language. However, finding the true meaning of the word is not enough to solve the problem; it is also necessary to confirm that the word was used in the Qur’an with this meaning also by the Qur’an.

Thus, it is necessary to start the analysis with the word وسط [v-s-t] from which the word الوسطى [al-vusta] has been derived. In Lisan al-Arab and Taj al-Arus, most notable two sources of the Arabic language without question, provide the following remarks for this issue:

The وسط [v-s-t] root word is spelled as vesat and vest. When spelled as Vesat it is a noun and when spelled as vest, it is an adverb in use.

This word means “the part of a thing, between its two ends”. (We can perceive it as the own middle point of something). It is used as “I grabbed the rope in the middle”, “I broke the arrow in the middle.”.

In the customs of the Arabs, the mid part of something is the most benevolent and beneficial part of it. For a Bedouin who will ride on his horse or camel, the most benevolent part of the horse or the camel is not the back nor the neck but the mid part of its waist. Best benevolent place for the sheepfold he/she will establish for the camels is the mid part of the pasture. The most benevolent [beautiful and suitable] part of a necklace to wear a pearl or diamond is its mid part. In addition, most beautiful and beneficial behavior is the moderate one among the same type of behaviors. For example, generosity is a behavior that is between stinginess and extravagancy. Courage is a behavior between cowardice and aggressiveness.

For this reason, the word وسط[vest] has been generalized with the meaning of “benevolent, beneficial, superior”. When the Arabs want to say, “He is from the evsat of the tribe”, they mean, “He is the benevolent, beneficial, and honorable man of the tribe”. On the other hand, when they say, “Look at this vesit person”, they mean, “Look at this benevolent, honorable person”.

And the expression of our Rabb, “Thus We have made you righteous/vasat people with a leader so you may testify over the people and the Messenger may testify over you” (Surah Al-Baqara 143) means “And we have made you such a people that is benevolent, beneficial, and honorable”.

There are about 40 rumors about the es-salatu’l-vusta specified in Surah Al-Baqara 238, which contain 19 different opinions. The strongest view about them is that “salat-ı vusta is the mid-afternoon salah, morning salah and Jumu’ah salah”.

Ebu’l-Hasen said, “es-Salatu’l-vusta is the Jumu’ah salah. The most benevolent/best salah is Jumu’ah salah. Whoever raises an objection, to this, it would be a mistake”.

In addition, Ibn Side said in his book of al-Muhkem, “Whoever says salat-ı vusta is anything other than Jumu’ah, he/she would be wrong”.[6]

As can be understood from such remarks, the word vesat which means “middle” is used among the Arabs as “benevolent, beneficial”. Hence, with the word الوسطى [al-vusta], which is the feminine form and ism-i tafdil [superlative] of وسط [v-s-t] and evsat, which is its masculine form, also mean “the most benevolent, the most beneficial”; just like in the words akbar and kübra;hasen, and hüsna.

The derivatives of the word الوسطى [al-vusta] are mentioned in the Qur’an 5 times, 2 of which being masculine (Surah Al-Qalam 28 and Al-Ma’idah 89).

Surah Al-Qalam 28:

The best of them said: “Did I not tell you “Do you not purify Allah from deficiencies?”

Surah Al-Ma’idah 89:

89Allah will not hold you responsible for your oaths you take unintentionally/utter out of habit. However, He will hold you responsible for the oaths you take intentionally/under covenant; its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people with the best of which you feed your families or clothing them. Or, to free a slave. For whoever can not find anything to give is to fast for three days. This is the expiation for the oaths when you break. And guard your oaths. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear for you so you may repay.

Surah Al-Adiyat 5:

… then plunge into the most valuable resources and assets of a community.

The word is also mentioned in Al-Baqara 143 and Al-Baqara 238.

As the fact that the word Vusta means “the most valuable, the most beneficial” is determined and approved by the ayat of the Qur’an, it is now necessary to understand the الصّلوة الوسطى [es-salatu’l-vusta] in Al-Baqara 238, emerging with the combination of the words of الوسطى [al-vusta] and الصلوة [es-salah], as “the most beneficial, the most benevolent/best salah”.

THE QUR’AN HAS NOTIFIED ABOUT “THE MOST BENEFICIAL, THE MOST BENEVOLENT SALAH”

If a meaning stated clearly in the Qur’an is not understandable, then this would constitute a deficiency for the Qur’an–but the mübin (that in which the truth and falsehood has been distinguished) and elaborate Qur’an is excluded from this– and incompleteness for the believers. In our opinion, this expression understood by our Prophet and his companions has turned to be incomprehensible in the chaos that took place with the rumors on the course of time. As can be understood from the Qur’an, salatu’l-vusta [the most benevolent salah, salah of the day of meeting/gathering], was made obligatory with the order of Collectively maintain the Salat and the best Salah [safeguard altogether] (Surah Al-Baqara 238). And then, later on, a reference was made to it with the surah Jumu’ah.

Surah Al-Jumu’ah 9:

9O you who have believed! When it is called for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] on the gathering day, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, leave business. If you should know, this is better for you.

Salah that is specified in Al-Baqara 238 as الصّلوة الوسطى [es-salatu’l vusta] is the salah conducted on “Jumu’ah/gathering day”.

Therefore, the meaning of the expression of es-salatu’l-vusta according to the Qur’an is this.

Subsequent to this evidence in the Qur’an, it is vain to look for an evidence or rumor in terms of which salah the salatu’l-vusta is!

JUMU’AH [LOCAL AGENDA MEETING, CONGRESS, CONFERENCE, MEETING]

The word Jumu’ah comes from the root of ج م ع [j-m-a] that means “gathering”. The linguist A’meş reads it as الجمْعة [Jumu’ah]; Asım and Hejaz read it as الجُمُعة [Jumuu’ah]. Reading as “Jumu’ah” is according to the Uqaylid dialect.

يوم الجمعة[YEVMU’L-JUMU’AH]

The phrase of yevmu’l-Jumu’ah consisting of the words of Yevm [day] and Jem’ [gathering] means “the day of gathering, the day of meeting”. The day of a week the Arabs called as “al-Arube” has been changed subsequently as يوم الجمعة [yevmu’l-Jumuu‘ah/meeting day].

There is no clarity about the identity of the person who transformed “Arube” into “Jumuu‘ah”. Some asserted that Quraish changed it for a meeting in the Daru’n-Nedve and some others assert that it was changed Ka‘b b. Lüey, one of the ancestors of the Prophet. The nearest one to the true knowledge is that it was changed in Medina by the Muslims.[7]

The issue takes place in the classical sources as follows:

Ibn Sirin said:

— The people of Medina came together for Jumu’ah before the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came to Medina and before the Jumu’ah (fardth) was sent down. They are the ones who called Jumu’ah to that day. Such that: They said: “The Jews have a day when they come together once in seven days: Saturday; the Christians have such day as well: Sunday. Let us resolve upon a day on which we can come together, remember Allah, perform prayer and some remainders” or they said something similar. They also said: “Saturday is the day of the Jews and Sunday of the Christians; so, you determine this day as the Arube day. Upon this, (with the name of Abu Umame) gathering took place around Es‘ad b. Zurare (r.a). He led them in two-rakah of prayer and gave them advice. They called the day when they came together as “Jumu’ah”. Es‘ad slaughtered a sheep for them and they ate it in the lunch and dinner, as they were not many in number. Therefore, the first Jumu’ah in the history of Islam is this.

I say: As it was told to have come in the future, they were 12 persons then. Also according to the rumor the person who brought them together and led them in the prayer is Es‘ad b. Zurare.

This is the case in the hadith quoted by Abdu’r-Rahman Ka‘b b from Ka‘b’, Maliq’s father.

al-Beyhaki tells the following:

— According to what is quoted to us from Mûsa b. Ukbe, who also quoted from Ibn Şibab ez-Zühri, Mus‘ab b. Umeyr is the first person who brought together the Muslims for a Jumu’ah prayer in Medina before the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came.

al-Beyhaki said:

— It is possible that Mus‘ab gathered the Muslims for a Jumu’ah prayer with the help of Es‘ad b. Zurare and, therefore, Ka‘b gave this duty to him [to Mus‘ab].[8]

Prior to the hijra/immigration, he wrote a letter to Mus‘ab Ibn Umeyr who was sent to teach Islam to the Muslims in Medina, and ordered “See the day on which the Jews expressly read the Psalm; you, bring together your women and sons, and practice two-rakah prayer after noon time”. Upon this order, Mus‘ab became the first person who led prayer in Medina. He continued this task until the Prophet came to Medina.” The number of the congregation led by Mus‘ab (r.a) in Jumu’ah prayer was 12.[9]

Before the hijra/immigration of our Prophet, the Muslims of Yesrib [the name of Medina at that time] were convening with Es‘ad ibn Zurare and consulting with each other. “They took a decision saying, “The Jews and the Christians are meeting one day a week; let us come together one day a week”, and started to convene. And they decided that the meeting would be held on the sixth day of the week (fifth for us) because it was the marketplace day set up in Yesrib and people were coming to shop from the nearby areas. This way, attendance to the meeting would be more. This way, the “yevmu’l-arube”, became “yevmu’l-Jumuu’ah/meeting day”. Later on, its new name started to be used.

According to the historical documents, the Prophet performed the first Jumu’ah at the place called Ranuna in Salim ibn Avf masjid[school]. When the Prophet conducted his hijra/immigration to Medina, he first stayed as a guest in Kuba at Amr ibn Avf. He stayed there on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and laid the foundation of the Masjid of Kuba; then he set off to go to Medina on Friday. When he arrived in the area of Benu Salim, he recited khutba there and performed salah of the day of Jumu’ah for the first time. This is the first Jumu’ah salah application of Prophet.

Translation of the compound of يوم الجمعtrة [yevmu’l-Jumu’ah] as “Jumu’ah day/the day of Cuma/Friday” is the translation of one of two words in Arabic into Turkish and leaving the other in Arabic, which is both wrong and causes that the meaning remains covert. This brings together many wrong beliefs and deeds. Hence, the meaning of “meeting day” must be given to the compound of the yevmu’l-Jumu’ah.

Details like the day and time of the meeting day and the manner of fulfilling salah on such days, conditions of participation, were not provided in the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, the salah that would be practiced on the meeting day is the most benevolent of the salahs and that this salah must absolutely be protected.

Surah Al-Baqara 238-239:

238,239Collectively maintain the Salat [supporting financially and spiritually; institutions that enlighten the community] and especially the best Salah [the best of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community; Salah of the weekly gathering day]. And stand for Allah, being always respectful; work; keep education-training and social support institution operational. But if you are in a fearsome environment, then maintain, fulfill it while on foot or riding; on the move. And when you are safe and secure, remember Allah as He has taught you that which you do not know.

The ayah that makes Jumu’ah fardth is this; not the Jumu’ah 9 ayah.

Then, when called for salah on the day of the meeting, it was ordered to “hasten for the remembrance of Allah”.

Surah Al-Jumu’ah 9:

9O you who have believed! When it is called for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] on the gathering day, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, leave business. If you should know, this is better for you.

This means that in the salah that will be applied on the day of meeting, “remembering Allah” will be ensured. The believers will take the required precautions to ensure that this takes place under the best conditions and that the best efficiency can be obtained. Fiqh/religious laws experts determined some conditions for the salah performed on the meeting day entitled “conditions of its necessity” and “conditions of its manner”. Details of them are available in the Fiqh/religious laws books.[10]

The reason for asserting such conditions is to ensure the Jumu’ah [meeting; congress, conference] in the healthiest and most productive manner.

In the Fiqh/religious laws books, conditions of the Jumu’ah’s obligation are listed as follows:

Being a male,

Being free,

Residing in a city,

Being healthy,

Being safe.

In addition, for such conditions, some reasonable causes as well as some applications from the period of the Prophet and the Sahabah [close friends of the Prophet] and history of the initial period of Islam are shown as an evidence.

We will make brief explanations on these clauses.

Independence/freedom:

This condition is appropriate because the musallas and masjids[school] where the salah will be established [meeting places] are houses of Allah. There is no discrimination of kings and slaves there; everyone is free and in equal status and declares his/her opinion freely; thoughts of no one can be restricted; and no one can be subject to investigations because of his/her opinion. When a person who is not free alleges an idea that is contrary to the opinion of his/her master or parson or institution, this would harm himself/herself. Hence, a person who is not free either declares an idea in parallel with that of his/her master or remains neutral. Therefore, attendance of those people who are not free in terms of law, politics, and whose opinions are controlled to such meetings is not necessary.

Residing in a city:

Meeting is an obligatory duty for the domestic population of the area without distinguishing men or women. It is not obligatory for the guests and passengers because people coming from elsewhere temporarily do not know about the problems of the area and do not know the people participating in the meeting. Thus, it is fine if they do not attend the meeting. If they do, they become listeners and receive information.

It is unnecessary to explain the conditions of being healthy and safe; not to be blind, disabled, or ill. These are important issues in every business. The issue that we will take into account is the condition of “being a male”.

In the classical works, followings are written in terms of this subject:

To people who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat (Afterlife), Jumu’ah prayer is obligatory. However, passengers, slaves, women, children, and patients are exempt from this.[11]

Jumu’ah prayer is not obligatory for women. However, if they perform the prayer together with the congregation, it will be enough and they will not be able perform the noon prayer.[12]

Allah notified about all His commands and prohibitions without discriminating between nationality, race, and gender, as general and absolute commands and prohibitions. Islam is the religion of disposition and universal; it covers every race, every society, every gender and every country. He did not discriminate women and men when it comes to their duties and their being servants. He never considered women a second-class human, a Muslim with lack of reason and religion (such acceptances have been attributed to Islam by impertinent persons and acknowledged by the unwary ones. These types of beliefs and assumptions are substantial amount of carelessness). There is no ayat in the Qur’an specifying that participation of women in the salah practiced on the day of meeting is not obligatory.

According to Sunnah and History of Islam books, it appears that the Prophet wished the women to go to the masjids [school] and that their spouses must not prevent it and that the women had taken part in the Jumu’ah/Meetings until the period of the Umayyad. However, a rumor stated as hadith in some books that were caused to be written to gain political authority was used as a material in this regard: In this hadith, assumedly our Prophet ordered as follows:

Jumu’ah salah is Allah’s right on every Muslim within the congregation and it is obligatory. However, slaves, women, children, and patients are exempt from this.

The hadith scholars express that Tarık b. Şihab, who is the narrator of this hadith, had seen the Prophet but did not hear anything from him.

The reality is: The political authority of that day thought about to break the resistance in the society to continue their unfair power; they take the women who constituted half of the society away from the Jumu’ah/Meeting and secluded them in their houses with the excuses as if they can cause problems. This is still ongoing…

The Fiqh/religious laws book also determined the following as the conditions of the performance of the meeting day salah by acknowledging some events as evidences:

Veliyyu’l-emr,

Izn-i amm,

Time,

Jamaat,

Khutba,

Let us detail them:

1) Veliyyu’l-emr: The head of the official authority, president of the state or viceroy.

2) Izn-i amm: Meeting place being open for everyone and practice of it in a place where the civilian authority issues a permit (like a meeting consent).

These two are the conditions with no possibility of application due to the current political structure. Such conditions are already unavailable in Islam. Muslims can gather anywhere (first Muslims came together in a sheepfold); they elect the Jumu’ah/meeting president [congress assembly chair] from among themselves; perform “remembering of Allah” and then scatter along the earth to look for the blessings of Allah. Islam is lived at the limits set by Allah; not for the zeal or consent of a person. Those who related these two conditions to the official authority and civil administrations were unable to work it out in the laic systems. As required by their beliefs, they could not say, “The Jumu’ah salah /Jumu’ah prayer cannot be performed” under these conditions” and they could not get rid of the concern that the Jumu’ah prayer they performed would not be accepted. Hence, they increased the Jumu’ah/meeting, which consisted of two-rakah prayer and khutba, to 16 rakah. They never found a convincing answer to the question of how to intent to 16 rakah.

These conditions were brought in Islam by the subsequent politicians who wished to control Muslims. This way, pure Islam was degenerated as the Islam of the Arabs, Persians, Seljuks, and Ottomans. Every Muslim is a natural member of this meeting. No Muslim can be restricted when it comes to participation. For a person whose participation is restricted for any reason, there is no responsibility for not participating.

3) Time: In the present application, it’s the fifth day of the week, Yevmu’l-Jumu’ah [Meeting Day].

The day of Jumu’ah was not determined by Allah. The Muslims of Medina who applied the first Jumu’ah resolved about the sixth day of the week (which is the fifth day of the week for us since the Arabs start the week on Sunday) as the Yevmu’l-Jumu’ah/Meeting Day, in consideration of the social and economical conditions they were experiencing; and this application has continued since then. If Muslims in any location find it appropriate to apply the Yevmu’l-Jumu’ah/Meeting Day on another day of the week or at varied times of a day, this must be welcomed with respect.

Our Rabb ordered as follows:

Surah Al-Jumu’ah 9:

9O you who have believed! When it is called for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] on the gathering day, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, leave business. If you should know, this is better for you.

As entire day is highlighted in this ayah, Jumu’ah/Meeting can be applied at any time of a day. Muslims can also adjust this according to the social and economical conditions of their region. The day and time applications to date are customs. They were not determined and mandated by Allah.

Although the Fiqh/religious laws books determine this time of the noontime of Jumu’ah/Meeting day, it is specified in the authentic hadiths of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that he performed it before and after noontime. In addition, the expression of “yevmu’l-Jumu’ah/meeting day” is present in the ayah, which means that there is a divine approval for it to take place at any time of the day.

4) Jamaat: This condition was discussed among the scholars; it was said according to the rumors known that it must have been 3 persons by some of them, while some others said 7 persons, and some said 40 persons. We understand from them that Jumu’ah was performed with 3, 7 and 40 persons. However, the essence is: there is a number with plural meaning in Arabic, which is 3. As it was said in the ayah, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, and as the smallest plural is 3, presence of 3 persons is enough for the meeting, regardless of whether they are males or females or mixed.

Here, it is necessary that the Muslims must take the conditions of taking part in salah we explained above into account; that they must not be junub nor drunk; that they must clean themselves with water, or clean earth in the absence of water; that they must not come to the meeting being dirty and smelly; and that they must come there by wearing their jewelry.

As we can learn from the History and Sunnah books, for the Jumu’ah, the Prophet was taking full ablution, wearing his white and clean outfits, and spreading nice odors on. He was suggesting these to everyone.

5) Mısr/Settlement: In every settlement, Jumu’ah/Meeting is performed in only one location. It is wrong to hold a Jumu’ah/Meeting every 100 meters as they do today. Holding a separate Jumu’ah/Meeting in every mosque of a settlement is contrary to the purpose of Jumu’ah/Meeting. The objective is not attained in such applications. Hence, it was said, “If multiple Jumu’ah/Meeting is held in a settlement, the one that starts Jumu’ah first will be the Jumu’ah of the congregation; others will not”. Even though Imam A‘zam Abu Hanifa stated that it is not to perform Jumu’ah creating multiple congregations in different places in a settlement, it is more attention-inviting that those people who allege that they belong to the Hanafi sect make this mistake more often than the members of other sects.

6) Khutba: Khutba is “remembering Allah” stated in Jumu’ah 9

This condition was construed in different ways among the sects and in-sectarian imams. The best of them belongs to Imam A‘zam Abu Hanifa. He said, “Khutba is “remembering Allah”, which is confirmed by the clear statement of the ayah. But this saying of Abu Hanifa was understood that “If the imam gets up the mimbar and says ‘Allah’, the khutba completes”.

Khutba is performed on a particular agenda. The person reading the khutba acts as a sort of council chairperson in a congress. Everyone has a right to speak, even without censor. As everything spoken there is for remembering Allah and within the framework of the understanding of “The one remaining silent against injustice is a mute devil”, no Muslim becomes subject to investigations or reprobation because of his/her views and criticism. Everyone has a full right of immunity.

Even though the utterances like, “Worldly words are not spoken in a masjid” or “It is wrong to speak during khutba” are present in the Ilmihals/life knowledge books, they are the things put into practice by the powers with no tolerance against criticism. This way, speaking in the meeting venue was prohibited and the tongues of the participants were locked up. As written in Bukhari, it was deemed a crime when a participant said, “silent” to his friend.[13]

Such things that are in no way related with Islam, were fabricated by some people who render the Muslims, who need to be active, nimble, and alert, a herd of sheep and they were successful in doing it: There is no conscious congregation in the Masjids today; no one tells anything even though the things imam utters are completely wrong or lies. The male congregation who said, “We shall not abide by you before you explain and convince us about how you found the garment on you and how you owned it”, to the Caliph Omar when he said, while reading the khutba, “Silence, and listen to me”; and the female congregation who raised objection by saying, “How can you apply restrictions in the mehir [life insurance, honor wealth] not limited by Allah?” are all history now.

We stated above that the objective of the meeting is zikrullah. Regarding zikrullah, our special note at the end of the Surah Al-A‘raf can be viewed.[14] Shortly, zikrullah/remembering Allah is not saying “Allah, Allah, Allah…” by taking prayer beads but “thinking about Allah’s rights on us, the blessing He presents to us; contemplate whether we have fulfilled our responsibilities to Him as servants or not; and carrying out the tasks he assigns to us completely; thanking about his blessing and not being unthankful; and being in such consciousness at all times”.

Through such an application, no doubt, a kind of weekly maintenance of the Muslims is conducted; their beliefs and deeds are revised; their works regarding the subsequent week are scheduled; and the disputes between them, setbacks in their lives, things to be done, inconveniences, sorrows, criticisms are discussed and settled freely with complete immunity and participation of every Muslim without being affected by anyone. In addition, thanks to this meeting, Muslims get to know each other, discuss, refresh their friendship, increase their knowledge and consciousness, cooperate and show it to everyone. They do not fill in the mosque like a herd, do not drowse there, and turn back home. –Therefore, the meeting day salah is es-Salatu’l-Vusta [the most benevolent salah].– Then, they disseminate along the earth to search for the blessings of Allah, through such dynamism. How beautiful and meaningful…

According to the valid Sunnah and historical documents, our Prophet used the masjid [school] for all kinds of public services and social activities. Today, masjids/mosques must be open for all social and cultural activities like congress, conference, exhibition centers, and libraries education and training. Masjids/mosques must be rendered no longer the places of inactivity/idleness and hypnotizing and must be provided with its original identity in Islam. That is to say, masjids/mosques must be the venues of salah, the places of enlightenment , awareness and illumination.

This is the Islam’s Jumu’ah… Muslims’ local agenda meeting must be in this fashion!

TIMES OF SALAH [MENTAL and FINANCIAL SUPPORT]

Surah Al-Isra 78-79:

78Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] from setting/downing of the sun until the darkness of the night and ensure the learning-teaching of the day.194 Because learning-teaching of the day is worth seeing.

79And from the night. Also, additionally only for you, fulfill Salah by waking up at night! It is expected that your Rabb will take you to a good position.

These are the initial ayat that determined the times of salah [mental and financial support]. Even though they are present in a Meccan surah, these ayat belong to the Medina period.

As we stated above, the purpose of salah [mental and financial support] is to turn a person –by supporting in mental and financial grounds– into one who is useful for himself/herself and the society. As the mental side of salah ensures one to reach rüşd [the most righteous and the most sound, maturity] our Rabb showed the substantial amount of importance He gives to education and training, which is the way of realizing such an important objective, with His instruction that the mental part of salah must not be abandoned even under the risk of being attacked by enemies:

Surah An-Nisa 101-103:

101And when you set out for a campaign on the earth, if you fear the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will harm you, then there will be no blame upon you if you shorten [shorten your education] Salah [work of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Surely, the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb are explicit enemy for you.

102And when you are among those who are on a campaign and provide training and education for them, let some of them stand/join the training with you. And let them take their weapons with them. And when they have received enough knowledge and are convinced, let them stand behind you. Then, let another group who have not yet received education and training come to join you for training and let them take precautions and carry their weapons with them. The infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb wish that you become negligent of your weapons and belongings so they may suddenly raid upon you. If a trouble reaches you from the rain or you become ill, there will be no blame upon you to leave your weapons. Take your precautions as well. Surely, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

What is included in the above verses is the mental side of salah because it is natural for salah to lose its financial aspect in an ambiance where life security is in the foreground. Almighty Allah, however, commands that the mental side of salah must not be abandoned even in this situation. For this reason, salah was made into a course, like meals in three times for feeding the body, and performance of salah was requested to be conducted in particular times to ensure the continuity of spiritual feeding of the person. The fact that “salah” is a task that will be carried out by the believers at particular times of a day is primarily for realizing the continuity of the belief in Allah in the mind of humans. Researches of religion psychology show that negligence by a person of his/her internal orientations render him/her spiritually blind person and as a result of it, the person fails to be a “constructive member of the society”. Thus, establishment of salah [provision of sustainment by constituting mental and financial support] is a very important duty for a person. Because of this importance, this duty is wanted to be established mandatorily in particular times of the day [morning, evening, and night]:

Surah An-Nisa 103:

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

It is understood from the expression of كتابا موقوتا [kitaben mevqûten/decree with specified periods of time] in the ayat, that salah must be established in particular times and must not be overlooked. A salah that has not been established on due time is like a meal not eaten or a pill not taken timely.

Allah Who commands to establish salah has manifestly specified the times in which they are to be established:

Surah Hud 114:

114And fulfill your Salah [establish and maintain supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night, because good deeds remove evil deeds. This indeed is a reminder for those who take lessons.

In this ayah, our Prophet was ordered to establish salah 3 times as both sides of the daytime [morning and evening] and in the early times of the night [isha].

Surah Al-Isra 78-79:

78Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] from setting/downing of the sun until the darkness of the night and ensure the learning-teaching of the day.194 Because learning-teaching of the day is worth seeing.

79And from the night. Also, additionally only for you, fulfill Salah by waking up at night! It is expected that your Rabb will take you to a good position.

In these ayat, our Prophet was also ordered to establish salah at the two sides of the daytime [morning and evening], and a part of the night [isha]. That is to say, the times ordered are morning, evening and night. In addition, as an extra for the Prophet, he was ordered to fulfill [as an additional task] the night salah [fulfillment of salah by getting to sleep and waking up].

Scrutiny will reveal that the expressions in Surah Hud 114 and Surah Al-Isra 78-79 are the same and they specify the times of salah. However, these times were articulated in different style and varied words in line with this Qur’an’s general style. The point that must be taken into account is that all these different words have the same meaning.

In order to learn the reality about the issue, it is necessary to understand these ayat well and, in order to understand the ayat well, it is necessary to know well the meanings of the words of دلوك الشّمس [dülûku’ş-şems], قرآن الفجر [qur’ane’l-fecr], طرف [taraf], تهجّد [teheccüd] and نافلة [nafile] specified in the ayat.

دلوك الشّمس [dülûku’ş-şems]: This possessive construction consisting of the words of dülûk and şems, means the “setting of the sun, its disappearance”. However, some commentators gave the expression in question the meaning of “bending of the sun”. In the dictionaries entitled Taj al-Arus and Lisan al-Arab, an attention inviting detail regarding the issue was included and it was stated that the reason for giving the word dülûk the meaning “bending” was for the purpose of ensuring that salah is understood to be performed five times.[15]

According to the actual meaning of the word dülûk, the determinative group of dülûku’ş-şems refers to the time of “evening”. Hence, Ali, the fourth Caliph, and Abdullah b. Mes‘ûd, Sa‘id ibn Jubair, Nehai, Muqatil, Dahhak, Süddi, Ibn Abbas and Mujahid preferred this meaning.

However, there were those who understood the “noon time” from the word when the word dülûk was given the meaning of “bending”. In the classical sources, Ibn Omar, Cabir, Ata, Katade, and Hasan are reported to have adopted this view.

Even though it was alleged that both meanings can be understood from this phrase taking place in Surah Al-Isra 78, the articulations determining the times of salah in Surah Hud 114 prevent that the meaning of “bending of the sun” is perceived and that, from this meaning, the salah of noontime is intended because in Surah Hud 114 our Prophet was ordered “to fulfill Salah at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night” and the meaning has been clarified. It is because the word zülefen mentioned in Surah Hud 114 has the same meaning as the word ğasaq mentioned in Surah Al-Isra 78, which is “the time when it gets dark; early hours of the night”. That is to say, both words are the equivalent of time of “isha”. It is precisely understood from this situation the order in Surah Al-Isra 78-79 and the order in Hud 114 are same. That is to say, in these three ayat, the times of establishing salah were explained in different styles by using identical words.

On the other hand, many commentators alleged that the phrases of dülûku’ş-şems and ğasakı’l-leyl express different times. However, the phrases do not express different times; they express the beginning and ending of period. As follows: in Surah Al-Isra 78, it was ordered to establish salah “from sunset until the darkness of the night”. This expression specifies the time not two salahs but a single salah [evening salah].

قرآن الفجر [qur’ane’l-fecr]: With this expression that means a “learning-teaching of the day” morning salah was intended and this salah is concerned mainly with education and training.

طرف [taraf]: This word means “township; adjacent area”. When a “taraf” of something is mentioned, its exterior, not interior, is understood.[16] Thus, in the Fiqh/religious laws, from the expression of “Both sides [taraf] of a person”, a person’s mother, father, grandfather, that is to say descendants, as one party; and children and grand children as the other party. Similarly, “both sides [taraf] of a table”, two split parts of the table are not understood, but the things on the left and right of the table are understood.

The plural of the word taraf is etraf. This word has been adapted into Turkish with its meaning in Arabic. Etraf is related with the outside of the referred thing. For example, when someone is told, “Look at your etraf”, he/she looks not at his/her hands, face or body, but at the whereabouts; right, left, front and back. It is possible to give more examples like “etraf of the country” that means outside of the country or “etraf of the world” that means outside of the world..

From the expression of both sides [taraf] of the daytime in the ayah, the “morning” and “evening” times, which remain outside the “daytime”, are understood, not “mid morning” and “mid-afternoon” times that are the parts of the “daytime”.

The word هجد [hecd], which is the root of تهجّد [teheccüd] is from “ezdad” [opposites] and has two opposite meanings. That is to say, it means both “to sleep” and “wake up”. Some derivatives of hecd have been known to be as follows: Hacid, “sleeping”; tehcid, “eliminating the sleep, waking up”; teheccüd, “waking up from sleep and perform salah”; müteheccid, “a person who wakes up at night and performs salah”.[17]

نافلة [nafile]: This word means “the addition on the original”.[18] As understood from the ayah, our Prophet would fulfill his salah not during the time between the start of darkness and dawn time, but by waking up from his sleep. This explains that Allah’s Messenger, who would act as a leader, guide, and teacher in the society (and his inheritors) would prepare a plan-program for education training alone at night. Real meaning of teheccüd is this.

2 of the salahs determined as 3 times according to the Qur’an were mentioned in another ayah by their names:

Surah An-Nur 58:

58O you who have believed! Let those who are under your protection in accordance with the laws and those among you who have not yet reached the age of ability to distinguish between good and evil to ask permission on three occasions; before the morning education-training, at noon when you put aside your clothing and after the night education-training. These are the three times for you, open and unprotected. There is no sin upon you nor upon them other than these. They move among you and some of you are upon some others. Thus Allah makes the Ayat clear to you. Allah is the One Who knows very well, the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

As a result, in Surah Al-Isra 78-79, salah was ordered to be conducted 3 times as morning, evening, and night. Same things were also ordered in Hud 114; it was ordered that 3 times [providing financial support by way of education-training and eliminating the problems in mental grounds and ensuring the sustainability of this support] must be established. As the Prophet generally established “salah and prayer” together, unfortunately, the times of salah have come to be understood by mistake as “the times of prayer”.

Despite the fact that the first addressee in the ayat whose that inform about the times is our Prophet, it covers the entire ummah [people, community] because the commands to the people, community take place in his personality first as he is the leader, guide of the people, community:

Surah Al-A‘raf 158:

158Say: “O mankind! Surely I am the messenger sent by Allah, the owner of the heavens/universe and the earth, the only supreme god, the One Who gives life and the One Who takes life, to you all. Then, believe in and obey His Messenger, who believes in Allah and His words to guide you to the righteous path; the Prophet from the Mother City; from Mecca”.

The duties of salah, fasting, hajj [pilgrimage], and zaqah/tax were present in the laws of the prophets after Prophet Abraham. It is understood from the Surah Al-Ma’un and Surah Al-Anfal 35 that the Meccans were fulfilling salah, too [providing mental and financial support and sustaining it]. According to Al-Alaq 9-10, our Prophet was fulfilling salah even before he became a prophet [he was providing mental and financial support to the people close to him]. However, such salahs were the salahs that have lost their character. The Qur’an has condemned the salahs that were not important in terms of their results and that were conducted in the form of a show together with yes-men and restructured salah on an axis of sincerity [mental and financial support].

WHY HAVE SALAHS BEEN ALLOCATED TO NIGHT IN THE AYAT?

The times of salah specified in the ayat of Hud and Al-Isra [morning, evening, and night] are in the night section of the day. The wisdom of this situation is also available in the Qur’an:

Surah Al-Muzzammil 1-7:

1-4O the one who confines himself in his house!15 Arise by the night – except for a short while; sometimeshalf of the night sometimes a little more or a little less – and serve! While conveying the Qur’an that is revealed to you, put in order properly! 5Indeed, we will cast upon you a very heavy word/the Qur’an.

6Night time is more convenient/better in terms of studying in peace, more effective in terms of speaking/communication. 7Surely, there is a prolonged occupation for you by day.

Daytime is the time when many commotions are experienced even for the prophet. Salah [mental and financial support] is an activity to which a person must devote himself/herself, who must be in concentration [sincerity and humbleness] However, it is not possible for people to devote themselves completely to salah during daytime as the things like works to do and trading because minds of everyone are on their jobs as the daily jobs are to be completed. Hence, they said “No salah is possible with distress in heart”. Of course, salah intended to mean with this is the salah ordered by Islam; its form established or thought to be established by the majority to have an obligation done is not salah because the salah established during the time in which the mind is busy with many concerns is not a true salah; it consists only of a form. True salah is the salah fulfilled by a person by submitting himself/herself to Allah with a peaceful heart.

It is therefore Almighty Allah determined morning, evening, and night times for salah time and allocated the daytime to work for sustenance.

As it is seen, such issues were clearly specified in Surah Al-Muzzammil 1-7. Mandatory and long running efforts await everyone in the orchards, gardens, workplaces. At the end of the day, all the works end and people go back home for tranquility in the said three times. This way, it is possible for them to come to the mosque and to be a community.

The expressions, in the ayat, of Night time is more convenient/better in terms of studying in peace, more effective in terms of speaking/communication.SurelySurely, there is a prolonged occupation for you by day specify the “most suitable” time for people regarding education and training.

Therefore, such timing was stipulated under the geographical and social conditions of Arabia on that day and it is possible to determine the most appropriate times for salah in different geographies and social environments for salah in our opinion.

BENEFITS OF SALAH

Our Rabb specified the benefits of salah in the Qur’an as follows:

Surah Al-Ankabut 45:

45You, recite/follow what has been revealed to you from the book and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institution that supports financially and spiritually; enlightens the community]. Indeed, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; the institution that enlightens the community] prevents from transgression, evil. And remembrance of Allah is indeed greater. And Allah knows that which you do and produce.

Surah Hud 114:

114And fulfill your Salah [establish and maintain supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night, because good deeds remove evil deeds. This indeed is a reminder for those who take lessons.

Surah Al-Baqara 110:

110And you, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax! Whatever good you do for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

Surah At-Tawbah 103:

103Take sadaqa/public revenue from their wealth so you may purify them by sadaqa/public revenue. And support them. Surely, your support is reassurance for them. Allah is the One Who hears best, knows best.

It is understood from these ayat that “salah” eliminates the transgressions and viciousness in a society. It is not possible that the persons educated and having social assurance and support to commit a crime. As in the proverb of “No doctor enters a house where the sun enters”, no crime enters a house, town, and country where salah enters.

FAHSHA’ [IMMORALITY]

The word فحشاء [fahsha’] means “bad business, reproachful word or behavior, getting over the line, being rampant in words and answers”. The plural of the word is فواحش [fawahish].

Linguist Ragıb al-Isfehani has defined the words of fuhsh, fahsha’ and fahisha as “extremely bad words and actions”.[19]

The word fahisha, which is qualified as the “bad business” in Surah Ali-Imran 135 is stated in 13 places, and its plural fawahish in 4 places in the Qur’an. The word was used in general as multiple transgressions in the Qur’an. As these transgressions and our other explanations regarding this concept have been previously given in the analysis of the surah An-Najm have been given,[20] we recommend reading the details there.

MUNKAR [EVIL]

Munkar refers to the things that are being accepted as bad by humanity and unsightly by Almighty Allah.

Our Rabb mentions in the Qur’an with the order of inviting all to good, instruct good deeds that are accepted by all, preclude evil via revelation and common sense that humanity has been equipped with a conscientious capacity that can distinguish between the good and evil, useful and harmful, positive and negative things. The human who is able to evaluate what is good and what is evil with this conscientious capacity placed into his/her nature is unable to use such internal mechanism carefully without the presence of the scales of transcendental, divine values that restrict him/her; on the contrary, he/she endeavors to legitimate the evil and wrong with various psychological mechanisms. The fact that “devil shows a person his/her deeds as beautiful deeds” can be assessed as an internal trap captures the person who fails to recognize such legitimating psychological mechanisms. “Munkar” known accurately by the person with his/her common sense is also prohibited by our Rabb and He also supports the conscientious diagnosis of humanity and provides it with a strong religious sanction that will ensure it to prevent the bad and badness. It is because humans are unable to inspect themselves sufficiently even in terms of avoiding the things that they know absolutely harmful. Failure of the prohibition of alcoholic beverages imposed in the 1930s in the US to be successful despite all the legal enforcements and on the other hand, apparent fall in drinking alcoholic beverages in the Islamic societies is a good example that shows the impact of religious sanctions in preventing what is bad.

Allah qualifies the persons who establish salah as those who “helped Allah”, “saved himself/herself”, “on the right path” and gives them many promises:

Surah Al-Hajj 41:

Allah will definitely help those who help Him -who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, instruct that which is acceptable for all and who forbid with Wahy [Revelation] and common sense that which is considered evil, if We make them have authority and home-. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, almighty. And only to Him belongs the consequence of all matters.

Surah Al-A‘la 14-15:

The one who purifies himself, who fulfills Salah; supports others financially and spiritually; strives to enlighten the community mentioning the name of his Rabb will definitely save himself.

Surah Luqman 2-5:

2-5These are the Ayat of that book which contains laws as a guidance to the righteous path and mercy upon those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, and those who certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife], who do good deeds –they are upon a righteous path from their Rabb. And they are the ones who will reach the salvation-.

Surah At-Tawbah 18:

18Only those who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife], establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and fear Allah in awe with respect, love, knowledge build and maintain the masjid [school] of Allah. And it is expected that they will be of those who follow the righteous path they are guided.

Surah At-Tawbah 71:

71The believing men and the believing women; some of them are familiars who are protectors, guides of some others. They command the good which is accepted by everyone, forbid all that is evil, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. Those, Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

Surah At-Tawbah 99:

99And among the Bedouin Arabs are some who believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife] and consider what they spend as closenesses with Allah and supports of the Messenger. Open your eyes! Indeed, this is a closeness for them. Allah will soon admit them into His mercy. Indeed, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

Surah Al-Baqara 277:

277Surely, those who believe, do amendatory deeds, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax will have their reward with their Rabb. And there will be no fear upon them, they will not grieve.

Surah Ar-Ra‘d 21-24:

Those who combine that which Allah has ordered to be combined; the faith and the good deed,

those who fear their Rabb in awe with respect, love, knowledge and who are afraid of the evil of account,

those who had patience in order to obtain the countenance of their Rabb,

those who established Salah [established and maintained the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community],

those who spent from what We had provided for them secretly and openly for the cause of Allah

and those who eliminate evil with good remember and contemplate. It is they for whom the consequence of this home; the gardens of Eden are. They, the righteous from among their ancestors, spouses and descendants will enter into the gardens of Eden. And the forces in charge/harbinger Ayat will enter upon them from every gate: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…] be upon you for what you have had patience! How excellent is the end of this home!”.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 12:

12And surely, Allah took the solemn covenant of Israelites. And We sent from among them twelve supervisors/leaders. And Allah said: “I am surely with you. If you establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, believe in My messengers, support them and loan Allah a good loan, I will definitely remove your evil deeds and admit you into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow. And whoever among you disbelieves; consciously denies the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb after this, he has certainly gone astray from the righteous path”.

Surah Al-A‘raf 170:

170And as for those who cling onto the book and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], We will not let be lost the reward of those who amend/do good.

Surah Al-Anfal 2-4:

2-4Surely, the believers are those whose hearts fear in awe when Allah is mentioned,

who get stronger in faith when His Ayat are recited to them and who rely only upon their Rabb,

who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]

and who spend from that which We have given them as provision for the cause of Allah. Indeed, these are the ones who truly believe. For them are degrees, forgiveness and a noble provision with their Rabb.

SALAH IS THE OCCASION OF HELP OF ALLAH

Our Rabb has explained how and through which occasions He would send the help to His servants and notified that this would be with patience and salah, not with mere prayers.

Surah Al-Baqara 45-46:

45-46And seek help through patience, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. –Surely, seeking help through patience and Salah is very difficult for all other than those who show respect; who believe from the bottom of their hearts that they will meet their Rabb and they will be returned to Him.-

Surah Al-Baqara 153:

153O you who have believed! Ask for help through patience and Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Indeed, Allah is with those who have patience.

BAD RESULTS OF ELIMINATION OF SALAH

Elimination of salah takes place by the exclusion of salah [mental and financial support] from the lives of humans and by the end of its application. Almighty Allah reprimands those people who do not stay away from salah and who prevent it as “people who turn away”, warns them that they will absolutely see the punishment of their transgression and declares that those who fail to be one of those providing support and help will certainly go to hell:

Surah Al-Baqara 83:

83And when We took “a certain promise” from Israelites: “You will worship none but Allah, do good to your parents, relatives, orphans and the needy, speak good to people, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax”. Then, except for a few, you turned away. And you are the ones who turn away.

Surah Mary 59:

59-61A bad generation came after them, and they took away Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community] from their lives. And they followed their desires. Therefore, they all, except those of them who have repented and believed and done righteous deeds, will be punished for their transgression. Then those of them who repent and believe and do righteous deeds will enter Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]; to the gardens of Eden which Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created] promised to His servants – even though they did not see – and they will not be treated unjustly at all. Surely, His promise will certainly be fulfilled.

Surah Al-Alaq 9-13:

9-10Have you seen the one who forbids a servant when he fulfills Salah [supports financially and spiritually; strives to enlighten the community]? 11-12Have you ever thought, if that servant who fulfills Salah is upon the righteous path or commands taqwa! [being under the guardianship of Allah]! 13Have you ever thought, if that one who forbids the one who fulfills Salah denied and turned away!…

Surah Al-Muddaththir 39-47:

38,39Every one who has found his self – except for the companions of the right – is a pledge for what he has earned.

40,41The companions of the right will be in the gardens. They will ask each other about the criminals: 42”What led you into the Saqar?” 43The criminals will say: “We were not of those who fulfill Salah [support financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community], 44and we did not give opportunities for those unemployed so they might earn their living. 45And our deeds were in vain together with those whose deeds were in vain. 46,47And we denied the Day of Religion until indisputable and inevitable death, the Qiyamat [Resurrection] came to us”. 48Now, help and intercession of intercessors, helpers will not benefit them.

It is enough to view the present condition of the world of Islam to see how the words of our Rabb regarding “People forgetting salah will be punished for their transgression” in Surah Mary 59 and “The towns committing atrocity are manipulated/destroyed” in Surah al-Kahf 59. The most outstanding reason for the countries within that world to be underdeveloped in terms of science, technology, economy, art and morality; in sum, everything that determines the standards of human life; is nothing but their exclusion of salah for 1500 years, in our opinion.

“CAMEL OF ALLAH” MENTIONED IN THE PARABLE OF THE PROPHET SALIH and THE PEOPLE OF THAMUD IS ALSO SALAH

In the Qur’an, when the parable of the Prophet Salih and the People of Thamud is being narrated, “Allah’s camel” and its “share of water” are mentioned. What is symbolized by “camel” here is also salah. The People of Thamud failed to give the share of the camel and chopped its legs and then were destroyed. That is to say, this people did not give the zaqah/tax to enliven the social help and support institutions, nor did they perform infak [aid] and this situation caused their destruction.

SALAH IS NOT TO BE FOR EVERYONE

HUŞÛ (SINCERITY) and RİYA (HYPOCRISY)

Salah cannot be established by everyone, but manly man. Following ayat attract our attention in this regard:

To patience, salah [to training, education, social support institutions]

Surah Al-Baqara 45-46:

45-46And seek help through patience, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. –Surely, seeking help through patience and Salah is very difficult for all other than those who show respect; who believe from the bottom of their hearts that they will meet their Rabb and they will be returned to Him.-

Surah An-Nur 37:

36-38There are such men in the houses in which Allah lets Himself to be raised and His name to be mentioned, who continuously purify Allah, commerce and business do not distract them from remembering Allah, establishing Salah [establishing and maintaining the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and giving zaqah/tax. They fear a day in which hearts and eyes will overturn so Allah may recompense them with the best of what they did and increase from His bounties for them. And Allah provides for whom He wills without account.

Let us look at the following ayat relating to the approaches of the polytheists and hypocrites to salah:

Surah An-Nisa 142:

Surely, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah. Yet, He is the deceiver upon them. And when they stand for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]/ go into public, they move lazily, being irresolute hesitating between the two, they do not stay with the believers nor the infidels, they make a display to the people. And they remember Allah but a little.

Surah Al-Ma’un 4-7:

4-7Woe to those who are careless, apathetic to their Salah, who fulfill Salah [while they look like they support others financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community] for showing off, and forbid that even small kindnesses should reach to a needy!

As can be understood from these ayat, there are two kinds of fulfiller of salah in the society. One is the fulfiller of salah with sincerity and the other is the fulfiller of salah for hypocrisy. Hence, we are to understand the expression of huşû well.

2They are the ones who are sincere in their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community].

Surah Al-Ahzab 35:

35No doubt that the men who have entered the religion of Islam and the women who have entered the religion of Islam, the believing men and the believing women, the respectful men and the respectful women, the truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the men who give sadaqa/public revenue and the women who give sadaqa/public revenue, the men who fast and the women who fast, the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men who remember Allah frequently and the women who remember Allah frequently; Allah has prepared for them a forgiveness and a great reward.

Surah Ali-Imran 199:

199And indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah, what has been revealed to you and what was revealed to them –as the ones who respect Allah sincerely-. They do not exchange the Ayat of Allah for a price. They are the ones whose reward is with their Rabb. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is swift in accounting.

Surah Al-Isra 107-109:

107,108Say: “Whether you believe in the Qur’an or you do not; those who were given knowledge before; when the Qur’an is recited, they fall in prostration, submitting. And they say: “Purified is our Rabb from all deficiencies. And the promise of our Rabb will certainly be fulfilled”.

109And they fall upon their chins, crying. And the Qur’an increases their respect and humility.

Surah Fussilat 39:

39Surely, when you see the earth barren and We send down water upon it; it is among His evidences/signs that it quivers and grows. Surely, the One Who gives life to it will indeed resurrect the dead. Indeed, He is the One Who is competent over everything.

Surah Al-Anbiya 89-90:

89,90And Zechariah; when he called to his Rabb: “My Rabb! Do not leave me alone; You are the best of inheritors” and We responded for him. And We bestowed him John. And We amended his wife/made her that she could give a birth. Indeed, they were racing in good deeds, and supplicating Us in hope and as being ideal people. And they felt a deep respect to Us.

Surah Al-Hashr 21:

21If We had sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain/a massive creature, you would certainly have seen it sincerely respectful, humbled and coming apart out of fear in awe with respect, love and knowledge for Allah. And We present to the people these examples so they may give thought.

Surah Al-Ghashiyah 2-4:

2,3There will be people who will be humbled and humiliated on that day even though they worked hard and exhausted.

Surah Al-Qalam 42-44:

42On the day when the truth will be laid bare, things will start to be more significant, become serious and they will be invited to submit, they will not be able to. 43Their eyes will be humbled and a humiliation, disgrace will cover them. Yet, they were invited to submit when they were safe and sound.

44So, leave those who deny this word/the Qur’an to Me! We will seize them from where they do not know.

Surah Al-Qamar 6-8:

6-8So, turn away from them. The day when the Caller will call them to an unknown/odd thing, on that day they will emerge from their graves running fast to that inviter with their eyes humbled. As if they are locusts spreading. Those infidels; who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will say: “This is a difficult day”.

Surah Ash-Shura 45:

45And you will see them being brought to the fire while they are humbled from humiliation, looking around at the corner of their eyes. Those who have believed will say: “Surely those who lost are the ones who caused themselves, their families and the people who are close to them to lose on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]”. Open your eyes! Surely, those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah are in an enduring punishment.

Surah Al-Ma’arij 43-44:

43On that day, they will come out from their graves rapidly. As if they are running towards something that is erected.

44With their eyes looking down in humiliation, being covered with humiliation. That is the day with which they have been threatened!

Surah An-Nazi’at 8-9:

8On that day, hearts will beat trembling.

9Their eyes will be humbled.

Surah Ta-Ha 108:

108That day, they will follow the inviter that has no deviation, then all voices will be reduced for Rahman [Allah; the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created]. You will hear only a low voice.

Surah Ash-Shu’ara 217-219:

217-219And rely on the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the possessor of vast mercy Who sees you when you rise/come out to perform your messenger duties and walk among those who have submitted.

Surah Al-Hadid 16:

16Has the time not come for the believers that their hearts should fear in awe at the remembrance of Allah and that which has come of the truth so they do not become like those who were given the Book before but their hearts have hardened because a long time has passed over them. And most of them have gone astray from the path.

These ayat show that while huşû is used mainly as the “respect of the body parts”, it means an “overall respect”. Hence, we can define the word huşû as “the respect we will show to our almighty creator sincerely and consciously with our voice, face and heart”.

Polytheists and hypocrites fulfill salah as well but they do it as a “show:”

Surah An-Nisa 38-39:

38Indeed, Allah does not like those who are arrogant and who brag about themselves; those who are stingy, instruct others stinginess and conceal that which Allah has given to them from His bounty and those who spend their wealth so it may be seen by the people while they do not believe in Allah and Akhirat [Afterlife]. And We have prepared for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb a humiliating punishment. And to whomever satan is a contemporary/close companion; how an evil companion he is!

39And what harm would come to them if they believed in Allah and the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection] and spent from that which Allah had provided for them for the cause of Allah? And Allah is the One Who knows them very well.

Surah An-Nisa 142:

Surely, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah. Yet, He is the deceiver upon them. And when they stand for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]/ go into public, they move lazily, being irresolute hesitating between the two, they do not stay with the believers nor the infidels, they make a display to the people. And they remember Allah but a little.

Surah Al-Anfal 35:

35And their support by the Bayt [House]/Kaaba is only to whistle and applause, a show. –Then taste this punishment for you have disbelieved; consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb!-

Surah Al-Baqara 262-264:

262The reward of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others and do not brag after what they give and do not hurt is with their Rabb. There is no fear upon them and they will not grieve.

263A word in a way that is acceptable for all and to forgive is better than a sadaqa/service fee to be taken followed by bragging and hurting. Allah is free of need, is the One Who forbears much.

264O you who have believed! Do not invalidate your sadaqas by bragging and hurting like the one who spends his wealth to show off even though he does not believe in Allah and the last day. His example is like the example of the boulder on which is a dust, then becomes bare when hit by downpour. They can not keep anything from what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the people of infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

It appears through the scrutiny of these verses that the infidels perform salah too but they do so for some bad purposes. As follows: It is specified in these ayat that the people giving sadaqa (sadaqa is also in the scope of salah; it is a social support) only for the sake of pomposity and show intended to create sense of indebtedness in the people to whom they give the sadaqa and to obtain material and spiritual interest from this.

A person must fulfill salah to thank and please Allah as understood from these ayat. He/she must repay for the blessings Allah has given to himself/herself such as reason, opinion, knowledge, experience, assets and health with huşû and complete respect to Allah. He/she must know that the true owner of the blessings given is Allah, not himself/herself. He/She must not get spoiled like the people of Saba’ and Korah. Our Rabb gave their situation as an example to us:

Surah Al-Qasas 76-83:

76,77Surely, Korah was among the people of Moses and transgressed against them. We gave him such treasures that its keys would definitely be heavy for a people of a strong men. Once his people said to him: “Do not exult! Allah surely does not like those who exult. And seek the home of Akhirat [Afterlife] through what Allah has given you. And do not forget your share from the world! And do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not desire corruption in the world. Indeed, Allah does not like the corrupters”.

78Korah said: “This wealth has been given to me because of a knowledge that I have”. Did he not know that Allah had manipulated/destroyed of many generations before him those who were greater than him in power, who had more followers, more accumulation than him. – And these sinners will not be questioned for the sins of the others. –

79Then Korah came out before his people in ornaments and glory. Those who desired the worldly life said: “If only we had like what was given to Korah! Surely, Korah is the owner of a great fortune”.

80And those who were given knowledge said: “Woe to you! For those who believe and do righteous deeds, the reward that Allah will give is better. And only those who have patience will be granted it”.

81And then We caused the earth to swallow him and his house. There was no company for him to help from among those that are inferior to Allah and he was not of those who were able to defend and save themselves.

82And those who wished to be in his position yesterday overnighted and said: “O, so Allah extends provision for whomever He wills of His servants and restricts it. Had Allah not given us a bounty, He would have caused the earth to swallow us as well. So, the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will not save themselves”.

83That home of Akhirat [Afterlife]! We will prepare it for those who do not seek corruption and arrogance on the earth. And the outcome is for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah.

Surah Saba’ 15-21:

15Surely, there was an evidence/a sign for the people of Sheba in where they took as their home: Two gardens on the right and on the left! –“Eat from the provision of your Rabb and repay for the blessings for Him! How a beautiful land and a very forgiving Rabb!”-

16But they turned away; they did not repay for the blessings. So, We released upon them the flood of the dams and turned their two gardens into two gardens with bitter fruits, tamarisks and some “persimmon trees”.

17This is how We recompensed them for they disbelieved; consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. And We recompense only those who are very ungrateful.

18And We made many cities between them and the cities which we had blessed. And We determined travels for them: -Travel between them by nights and days in safety!-

19Then they said: “O our Rabb! Lengthen the distance between our journeys!” and treated unjustly to themselves by doing wrong; acting against their own good. And now, We made them tales and dispersed them in total dispersion. Surely, there is an evidence/a sign in this for everyone who repays for what he is given and is patient.

20And surely, Iblis/thinking ability243 confirmed his assumption about them and they followed Iblis except for a party of believers.

21But, there was no authority for Iblis over them. But, We would separate those who believe in Akhirat [Afterlife] from those who does not have sufficient knowledge about it; mark them and show. And your Rabb is the One Who protects everything well.

Surah Al-Kahf 32-43:

32And present to them an example of two men: We gave one of them two vineyards of all kinds of grapes and bordered two vineyards with date palms. And We made between them a field for crops.

33And both gardens produced their crops without any deficiency. And We made a river flow between them.

34And there was another income for the owner of these two vineyards. Therefore he said to his companion while he was talking to him: “I am greater than you in wealth and stronger than you in number of men”.

35,36And this man entered his vineyard while he was treating himself unjustly: “I do not think that this will ever perish. And I do not think that the Hour will come. And even if I would assume that I was taken to my Rabb,I would certainly find a better consequence than this”.

37-41And his companion said to him while he was talking to him: “Do you not believe in the One Who formed you from dust and then a drop of water/liquid and made you a mature human? But as for me; He is my Rabb, Allah. And I do not associate anyone with my Rabb. Why did you not say, when you entered your vineyard: “What Allah wills, happens! There is no authority but Allah!” Although you see me less than you in wealth and children, maybe my Rabbwill give me a better one than your vineyard. And He will send a calamity upon yours from the sky so your vineyard becomes a slippery ground. Or the water of your vineyard will be drawn into the ground so you will never be able to seek it”.

42,43And that man who owned those two vineyards was surrounded/ruined with his wealth. Thereafter, he wringed his hands for the expenses he made to his vineyard. The garden collapsed upon its trellises and he was saying: “O woe to me! If only I had not associated anything with my Rabb”. There was no people to help from among those that are inferior to Allah for that person. And he was not the one who was capable of avenging for himself/helping himself.

It is seen that for the people who fail to establish salah with sincerity and who establish it without respect and who fulfill it for personal interests and for a show by not accepting the material of salah is from Allah, their deeds will not benefit them.

In the last sections of Al-Baqara 264, a perfect analogy is drawn with the expressions of Those are like the boulder with soil all over it, which becomes bare when hit by downpour. They cannot benefit from their earnings and it is taught with this that the salah and benevolences established by the hypocrites without believing will be worthless and not valid before Allah.

Surah Ali-Imran 85:

85And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, then it will never be accepted from him. And one who seeks a religion other than Islam will be among the losers in Akhirat [Afterlife].

Surah Al-Kahf 102-106:

102So did those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb think that they might take some familiars who help, guide, protect from among those that are inferior to Me? Indeed, We have prepared Jahannah [Hell] as a hosting feast (!) for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

103Say: “Should we inform of the greatest losers in deeds? 104They are those whose efforts are lost while they think that they produce good work”.

105They were the ones who consciously denied/disbelieved in the Ayat of their Rabb and meeting Him so, all deeds that they did have become worthless. On the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection], We will not take them into account/give them any importance.

106Jahannah [Hell] will be their recompense for their disbelief; that they have consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb and ridiculed My Ayat and messengers.

ALLAH CONVEYED SALAH WITH EVERY MESSENGER

Our Rabb expressed He communicated His order of “establish salah” through every messenger of Him to the entire humanity.

To our Prophet:

Surah Al-Kawthar 2:

2Therefore, fulfill Salah [support financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community] for your Rabb and endure the difficulties you will encounter!

Surah Ibrahim 31:

31Tell my servants who believe: Let them establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and spend from that which We have provided for them openly and secretly for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance for their relatives before a day comes in which there will be no trade and no friendship.”.

Surah At-Tawbah 103:

103Take sadaqa/public revenue from their wealth so you may purify them by sadaqa/public revenue. And support them. Surely, your support is reassurance for them. Allah is the One Who hears best, knows best.

Surah Ta-Ha 132:

132And instruct your family, relatives to fulfill Salah [support financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community] and you, be steadfast in it too. We do not ask you for provision. We provide for you. And outcome is for “being under the guardianship of Allah”.

Surah Al-Ankabut 45:

45You, recite/follow what has been revealed to you from the book and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institution that supports financially and spiritually; enlightens the community]. Indeed, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; the institution that enlightens the community] prevents from transgression, evil. And remembrance of Allah is indeed greater. And Allah knows that which you do and produce.

Surah Al-An’am 162-163:

162,163Say: “My Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community], my servitude; all my worship, my life and my death are only for Allah, Rabb of all universes, Who has no partners. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”.

To Prophet Moses:

Surah Ta-Ha 11-15:

11Then, when he came to it, he was called: “Moses! 12I, it is I Who is your Rabb. So, leave the people who are close to you and your belongings here,141 indeed, you are in the purified valley, in Tuwa/a valley cleaned twice. 13And I have chosen you; then heed that which will be revealed to you; heed the 14warning of “14Surely, I am Allah Himself. There is no deity except Me. Then worship me and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] to remember me.

Surah Yunus 87:

87And We revealed to Moses and his brother, “Prepare some schools in Egypt for your people and make your schools your goal and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give good tidings to the believers!”.

To Prophet Jesus:

Surah Mary 30-33, 36:

30Surely, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the book and made me a prophet. 31He has rendered me blessed wherever I am. He has given me Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community] and zaqah/tax as a liability as long as I live. 32And He has made me kind to my mother. And He has not made me a tyrant, an unhappy one. 33And Salam [health, peace, happiness…] be upon me, on the day I was born, on the day I will die, and on the day I will be resurrected again as alive.

36And indeed, Allah is my Rabb, and He is your Rabb as well. So, worship Him, this is the straight path

To Prophet Abraham:

Surah Ibrahim 35-41:

35-41And when Abraham once said: “My Rabb! Make this city safe! Keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols! My Rabb! Surely, idols have led many among the people astray. Then, whoever follows me, he is of me; and whoever disobeys… Then you surely are the One Who forgives much and shows great mercy. Our Rabb! I have indeed settled some of my children in a barren valley next to Your untouchable House so they might establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Our Rabb! So make the hearts of some of Your servants incline towards to them so they may repay for the blessings that You have given. And provide for them from some fruits. Our Rabb! Indeed, You know that which we conceal and that which we disclose. –And nothing is hidden from Allah in the heavens/universe and on the earth.- All praise is to Allah Who has bestowed me Ishmael and Isaac in my old age; no one else may be praised. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who hears my supplication very well. My Rabb! Make me a man who establishes Salah [establishes and maintains the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]! And from my descendants too… Our Rabb! Accept my supplication! Our Rabb! Forgive me, my parents and believers on the day when the account will be established!”.

To Prophets Ishak and Jacob:

Surah Al-Anbiya 72-73:

72And We bestowed him Isaac and Jacob in addition. And We made them all righteous people.

73And We made them leaders who guided by Our command. And We revealed to them to do good deeds, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax. And they were the ones who worshipped only to Us.

To Prophet Zachariah:

Surah Ali-Imran 39:

39Then, while Zechariah was fulfilling Salah [teaching], standing on the special desk, the harbinger Ayat called him: “Surely, Allah is giving you the good tidings of John, of the righteous as the confirmer of the words of Allah, the master/the leader, a prophet of modesty”.

To Prophet Ismail:

Surah Mary 55:

55And he ordered his family/people around him Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community] and zaqah/tax. And his Rabb was pleased with him.

To Prophet Luqman:

Surah Luqman 13, 16-19:

13And when Luqman said to his son, instructing him: “O my son! Do not associate others with Allah, surely, associating others with Allah is very wrong; acting against own good. 16O my son! Surely, associating others with Allah; even if that evil should be the weight of a seed of mustard and should be within a rock or in the heavens/universe or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is subtle, aware in truth. 17O my son! Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], order good, avoid evil. Be patient over what befalls you. Surely, these are certains of the matters. 18And do not puff out your cheeks to people, do not frown and do not walk arrogantly on the earth. Indeed, Allah does not like all those who are boastful and self-deluded. 19And be moderate in your pace, lower your voice. Surely, the harshest of sounds is the voice of the donkeys”.

To Prophet Shu‘ayb:

Surah Hud 87:

87They said: “O Shu’ayb! Is it your Salah [your religion that includes supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] that commands you that we should abandon what our ancestors worshipped and that we should not do whatever we will with our wealth? Indeed, you are a tenderhearted and right minded man”.

To the Israelites:

Surah Al-Baqara 83:

83And when We took “a certain promise” from Israelites: “You will worship none but Allah, do good to your parents, relatives, orphans and the needy, speak good to people, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax”. Then, except for a few, you turned away. And you are the ones who turn away.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 12:

12And surely, Allah took the solemn covenant of Israelites. And We sent from among them twelve supervisors/leaders. And Allah said: “I am surely with you. If you establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, believe in My messengers, support them and loan Allah a good loan, I will definitely remove your evil deeds and admit you into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow. And whoever among you disbelieves; consciously denies the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb after this, he has certainly gone astray from the righteous path”.

To the believers:

Surah Al-Hajj 78:

And strive for the cause of Allah properly so you may win victory, maintain your status. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you any difficulty in the religion; the religion/lifestyle of your ancestor, Abraham. He has named you “Muslims” before and in the Qur’an so the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. Therefore, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and hold fast to Allah. He is your familiar Who guides, helps, protects. How an excellent familiar Who guides, helps, protects, how an excellent helper He is!

Surah Al-Jumu’ah 9-10:

9O you who have believed! When it is called for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] on the gathering day, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, leave business. If you should know, this is better for you.

10And when Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been concluded, disperse across the earth and seek from the bounties of Allah. And remember Allah often so you may succeed and maintain your status.

Surah Al-Muzzammil 20:

20Do not doubt, your Rabb knows that you stay awake for less than two-thirds, half, a third of the night. So does a group of those who are with you. Allah determines the night and the day by a measure. He has known that you will not be able to do this duty with ease so eased your duty. Then, learn and teach what is easy of the Qur’an! He has known that there will be those who are ill among you. He has known that some of them will travel through the earth seeking of the bounties of Allah, while some others will fight for the cause of Allah. Then learn teach what is easy from it! Establish/maintain Salah [financial and spiritual support; institutions that enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax! Loan Allah a good loan! And you will find whatever good you send forth for yourselves better and you will find its reward greater with Allah. Ask Allah for forgiveness! Indeed, Allah is the One Who forgives much, shows great mercy.

To the entire humanity:

Surah An-Nur 56:

56And establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax and obey the Messenger so you may receive mercy.

Surah Ar-Rum 31-32:

31,32Enter under the guardianship of Allah, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] as the ones who turn to Him from their hearts, do not be among those who associate others with Allah; those who have divided their religion asunder, who have divided into separatist groups. –Each separatist group brags with that which is with them.-

Surah Al-Baqara 110:

110And you, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax! Whatever good you do for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

SALAH IS THE DISPLAY WINDOW OF RELIGION

The issue that salah represents religion and is the display window of religion was stated in the clearest manner in the ayah regarding the salah of Prophet Shu‘ayb:

Surah Hud 87:

87They said: “O Shu’ayb! Is it your Salah [your religion that includes supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] that commands you that we should abandon what our ancestors worshipped and that we should not do whatever we will with our wealth? Indeed, you are a tenderhearted and right minded man”.

The word salah in the expression of Does your Salah command us to abandon those deities worshipped by our ancestors and our rights on our possessions? stated in this ayah represents the “religion” because, just like a the photograph of a person’s face is considered a sufficient and valid evidence in the determination of his/her identity, salah, which is a deed and belief of social aid, represents the “religion” as the most significant feature of the religion reflecting outside and constitutes one of the most determine indicators of it.

Our Rabb expressed that salah represents the religion through different statements (for example, by showing salah as the one of the characteristics of the believers, pious ones, those who can accept warnings; specifying that it is required for being subject to mercy and grace; considering it is the indicator of belief; stating that salah is one of the behaviors considered “being rightous”) in other ayat as well:

Surah Al-Baqara 2-4:

2-4This book; about which there is no doubt is a guidance for those who believe in the unseen, the unheard, the unknown places, who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who spend from what We have provided for them for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others, who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, who has entered under the guardianship of Allah –and they definitely believe in Akhirat [Afterlife]-.

Surah Al-Mu’minun 9:

9And they are the ones who maintain their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; the institutions that enlighten the community].

Surah Fatir 18:

18And no sinner bears the sins of another. Even if the one who has many sins/who is very wealthy calls another to make him bear his sin, none of his sin will be taken from him to be borne by another one. – Even if he is a relative – Surely, you only warn those who fear their Rabb in awe with respect, love and knowledge in the desolate places and those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Whoever purifies himself is purified for himself. And return is only to Allah.

Surah Fatir 29-30:

29,30Surely, those who recite the book of Allah, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and spend from that which We have provided them for the cause of Allah secretly and openly/provide sustenance for their relatives, they expect a business that has no possibility/probability to go bankrupt so Allah may give them their rewards in full and increase his bounty for them. Indeed, He is very forgiving and the One Who repays.

Surah An-Nisa 162:

162But those who have been deep in knowledge and who believe from among those who became Jews believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before. They are the ones who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, believe in Allah and the day of Akhirat [Afterlife]. They are the ones whom We will give a great reward.

Surah Al-Baqara 177:

177It is not “being righteous” to turn your faces to east and west. But, “the righteous people” are the ones who believe in Allah, the day of Akhirat [Afterlife]/the Last Day, angels, the Book, prophets; who give their wealth to relatives, orphans, needy, travelers and paupers and the ones who do not have freedom even though they love wealth and who give their wealth by loving Allah and who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax. And they are the ones who fulfill their promise when they promise and who have patience in the times of hardship, illness and war. They are the ones who are true. And they are the ones who have entered under the guardianship of Allah.

Surah An-Nur 56:

56And establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax and obey the Messenger so you may receive mercy.

CONDITIONS OF TAKING PART IN SALAH

Those people with the understanding that accepts salah as “prayer” deemed the cleaning expression in Surah Al-Ma’idah 6 as a must of prayer and proclaimed the Surah Al-Ma’idah 6 ayah as “the ayah of ablution”.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 6:

6O you who have believed! When you rise towards Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; the institutions that enlighten the community]/go in public, wash your faces and hands up to your elbows. Wipe over your heads and feet to your heels with your hands. If you are junub/out of your senses because of excessive lust, clean yourselves over and over [engage in sexual intercourse, ejaculate and bathe]. If you are ill or traveling or one of you comes out of the bathroom or have had physical contact with women/had sexual intercourse and then could not find water, seek clean earth. Then wipe your faces and hands with clean earth using your hands. Allah does not intend to make any difficulty for you but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you so you may repay for the blessings that are given to you.

However, according to the information provided by the surat of Al-Hujurat, Al-Mujadila and An-Nur in the Qur’an and history books, the Arabic society in the period when the Qur’an was sent down was a mass of people who did not know to knock on a door and how to enter the house of someone else; unaware of the manners of having talks and discussions; lack of table manners; weak in social relations to the extent that it can be considered as none; and the worst, without the culture of cleaning. There are many documents regarding the fact that they went to the masjid [school] with filthy clothes, muddy feet, doughy hands, smelly mouths of onion and garlic and that they even defecated in the middle of the masjid [school]. Thus, Al-Ma’idah 6, which is called “the ayah of ablution” is an ayah for teaching the Arabs of the time to come before the society clean. This situation is also underlined in the following verse:

Surah Al-A‘raf 31-32:

31O mankind! At every masjid’s [school] nearby; in public take your adornments, eat and drink but do not be extravagant; indeed Allah does not like the extravagant ones.

32Say: “Who made haram/forbidden the adornments which Allah brought forth for His servants and the clean provisions?” Say: “These are for those who believe in simple worldly life – only for them on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]-.” Thus We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who know.

As it is understood from these ayat clearly, cleaning of people, their clean outfits, and their wearing of jewelry are for their own relations. These are required for them to love and show respect to each other as well.

Adaptation of the issue of dressing and cleaning to Allah, by comparing Him with the governors of provinces or districts before whom one must appear clean and in good clothing by some people results from their inability to appreciate Allah appropriately. In fact, Allah does not pay regard to the appearance of people; He appeals to the hearts. And a person is before Him anytime, anywhere, any case. Allah does not request any process to welcome people before Him.

On the other side, the people with same understanding misled the Muslims by providing wrong definitions in terms of the states of being “junub”, mentioned in Surah Al-Ma’idah 6 and Surah An-Nisa 43 and “intoxicated” mentioned in An-Nisa 43. The truth is in our analysis below:

Surah An-Nisa 43:

43O you who have believed! Do not approach Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; the institutions that enlighten the community]/do not go in public until you are aware of what you are saying while you are intoxicated, until you engage in sexual intercourse and bathe –except travelers– when you are junub. If you are ill or traveling or one of you have come from bathroom or contacted women and you could not find water, then seek clean earth. Then wipe your face and hands using your hands. Indeed, Allah is pardoning, very forgiving.

BEING JUNUB and JANABAT

In the Fiqh and Ilmihal/religious laws and life knowledge books, being junub was defined as the “situation requiring full ablution; a big state of lack of ablution” and janabat as “The person in this condition and has not yet had full ablution” and explanations like “A person who has had a sexual intercourse or wet dream or ejaculated due to lust by looking at or touching to someone is called junub and his/her such condition is janabat”.

In view of these definitions and explanations, it was resolved that a male and female who has sexual intercourse even without ejaculation will be junub and a male will be considered junub with the ejaculation and a female will be considered junub with her being in wet dream for coquetry, looking, thinking or similar reasons and ejaculation taking place as a result of satisfaction through dream or another way will cause to be being junub.

Considering these judgments, it was considered haram/forbidden for a junub to enter a masjid, perform prayer, have the prayer performed, fast, read the Qur’an, touch the Qur’an, recital of the Qur’an to him/her and walk around the Kaaba.

In addition to this prohibition, threats regarding the badness of being junub like, “No angel enters a place where a junub is”, “No plant flourishes in the soil stepped by a junub”, “The soil he/she steps on and his/her bed curses the junub until he/she baths”, were –even by ascribing to our Prophet– were uttered.

However, being junub mentioned in the Qur’an is not the above-defined state of being junub-janabat. In our opinion, they have been fabricated to keep people away from religion and education and it is sad that our Prophet’s name was used as a tool for it.

This mistake has been so widespread that the word junub was given definitions in dictionaries–as if this word was not present in the Arabic language before Islam– within the framework of the terminological meaning we provided above; hence, similar information was included in the classical sources:

Word Junub has no gender, deuteronomy, and plural because this word is infinitive as the words of buud and kurb [farness and nearness]. Sometimes, they lighten this word and call it cenb. There were people who have read the word like this.

al-Ferra says: The expression of a person’s state of junub is derived from janabat. In one accent, it was said that the word junub was told to have been made plural, just like unk and a’nak, tunub and etnab [neck, necks, tent peg, and poles] as well. If this word is used as canib with the intention for the singular, the expression of cünnab is used for the plural, like referring a horseback rider and riders as rakib and rukkab. The word means “distance” in its origin. It takes this name as a junub distances from the state of prayer because of the fluid he/she brings out through lust. The poet says:

Do not make me deprived by keeping me away from my sibling (who is slave beside me)!

Because I am a person who remained awkward among the tents.

Junub man is also used as a “stranger man”. In the same way, janabat [mücanebet] means “A male’s being intimate with a female”.[22]

ACTUAL MEANING OF THE WORD

Following information is available in the classical works concerning the word جُنُبْ [junub] that is one of the derivatives of the word جنب[jenb]:

The word Jenb means “A part of something; a part torn from a small-big thing”. The words of canib and junub means, “ğarîb” [something very distant]. The expression of Cenebe’r-raculü means “Person has repelled it, fended it off”. Ezheri said the following: “As getting nearer to the salah emplacements was prohibited, it was called ‘junub.’”. Ibn Esir said: “Junub is a person who is required to take a bath because of the ‘sexual intercourse and ejaculations;’ janabat means ‘spermatic fluid.’”[23]

However, it is not possible to accept the views of Ezheri and Ibn Esir mentioned in Lisan al-Arab; because this word was also available in the Arabic language prior to the Qur’an as well. It was prohibited with the Qur’an to near the salah emplacements [musalla; education-training and social aid, support places].

BEING JUNUB and THE QUR’AN

The word junub takes place in the Qur’an totally 33 times with different derivatives, being as it is in 2 ayat. All of the derivatives of the word are around the main axis of “a part that is distant from the main matter” and those of the mentioned in that ayat of Surah An-Nisa 36, 43; Surah Al-Qasas 11 and Surah Al-Ma’idah 6 are in the junub form and others are in different forms. For example, the words in the ayat of Surah Az-Zumar 17, Surah An-Nisa 31, Surah Ash-Shura’ 37, Surah An-Najm 53, Surah An-Nahl 36, Surah Al-Hajj 30, Surah Al-Hujurat 12, Surah Al-Ma’idah 90 and Surah Ibrahim 35 took place with the “ictinab” meaning “staying away; avoiding” form that entered also Turkish with its meaning in Arabic.

Surah Ibrahim 35:

And when Abraham once said: “My Rabb! Make this city safe! Keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols!

The forms of canib, ecnebi, cenab derivatives of this word, have been turned into Turkish words with the same meanings and canib means “side, edge” and ecnebi means “an expat; foreigner”. Cenab means “stayed away from deficiencies” which is used for Allah as “Cenab-ı Hakk, Cenab-ı Allah” and some select persons are referred to as “… cenabları”.

In summary, the word junub means concisely “something distant; something detached”. In an assessment in the light of the ayat of An-Nisa 43 and Al-Ma’idah 6, it is understood that this word means “The one detached from life, lost his/her balance and fails to behave with common sense due to lust, awakening of desire”. Hence, as known by everyone, a person in this state becomes detached from life and the world and loses his/her common sense.

It is understood from here that being junub is not the state between the “ejaculation of the sperm and taking a bath”, but “the tense state between the lust and ejaculation”.

So our Rabb stipulated in both Surah An-Nisa 43 and Surah Al-Ma’idah 6 that the persons must not attempt salah; that is to say, they must not go to the education-training and social support areas in such a tense state. In other words, participation of the persons who are detached from life and who fail to act with common sense was prohibited to take part in such social activities and He ordered that the tense ones must first alleviate their desires and then go out before the society after taking a bath because a person who reaches tranquility will not have a attention problem caused by the state of being junub; on the contrary, he/she will be able to fulfill the requirement of salah in a calm and understanding manner. As a person who has reached tranquility and calmed, he/she would already not inflict harm to anyone, it is meaningless to keep him/her distant from the society and curse him/her.

INTOXICATION

The word سكارى [sükara] mentioned in the ayah is from the derivatives of the word سكر [sekr] and sekr was shown in Lisan al-Arab as the opposite of sahv.[24] In this case, in order to understand the word sekr better, it is necessary to know the meaning of sahv.

Allame Ibn Manzur explains the word صحو [sahv] as follows:

Sahv means the “disappearance of a cloud, clarity of the sky, disappearance of intoxication, and departing of superstitious and lack of control”.[25]

As can be understood from here, the first meaning of the word was with the events in nature; daylight, that is to say, the purification of the sky from clouds, fogs, dusts and smoke was referred to as sahv and the opposite of it is the state of the sky in clouds, fog, dust, and smoke, was referred to as sekr.

As it is seen, the word sükara does not cover the intoxication taking place only with the effect of the substances like alcohol. The word sukr means in its broad sense all the mental confusion, corruption that prevent a person’s use of his/her mental faculties fully because mental confusion may appear under the effect of any drug or things like sleep, lust, fear, pain, panic and stress as well. Hence, there are many ayat in the Qur’an regarding the intoxication taking place outside the effect of the substances like alcohol:

Surah Qaf 19:

19Indeed, the stupor of the death comes in truth: -“O man! This is that which you were avoiding.”-

Surah Al-Hijr 14-15:

14,15And even if We opened a door upon them from the heavens/universe and they ascended up through there, they would indeed say: “Our eyes have been dazzled/blurred. Actually, we are a people affected by magic”.

Surah Al-Hijr 72:

72You have never seen in your life such disgraced ones who prepared their end in their passion for lust.-

Surah Al-Hajj 1-2:

1,2O people! Enter under the guardianship of your Rabb, indeed the tremor of the moment of Qiyamat [Resurrection] is a great thing. On the day that you will see it, every nursing woman will forget that she is nursing. And every pregnant woman will deliver what she carries or miscarry. And you will see people intoxicated while they are not. Yet, the punishment of Allah is severe.

As a result, people must not take part in salah when they are under the effect of alcoholic beverages or drugs and when they are sleepy, afraid, painful, sad and stressed.

Apart from the ayat of Surah An-Nisa 43 and Surah Al-Ma’idah 6, there are many ayat in the Qur’an in the form of a condition of taking part in salah (stating that salah must be conducted only for Allah; with a heart and sincerity directed to Allah; far from showing off; neither overtly nor covertly; in consciousness and timely manner, without adopting as entertainment; without being lazy and continuously):

Surah Al-An’am 162-163:

162,163Say: “My Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community], my servitude; all my worship, my life and my death are only for Allah, Rabb of all universes, Who has no partners. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”.

Surah Ar-Rum 31-32:

31,32Enter under the guardianship of Allah, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] as the ones who turn to Him from their hearts, do not be among those who associate others with Allah; those who have divided their religion asunder, who have divided into separatist groups. –Each separatist group brags with that which is with them.-

Surah Al-Mu’minun 2:

2They are the ones who are sincere in their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community].

Surah An-Nisa 142:

Surely, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah. Yet, He is the deceiver upon them. And when they stand for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]/ go into public, they move lazily, being irresolute hesitating between the two, they do not stay with the believers nor the infidels, they make a display to the people. And they remember Allah but a little.

Surah Al-Ma’un 1-7:

1Have you seen/have you ever thought about the one who denies the fact that everyone will be recompensed for his deeds, good or evil, in Akhirat [Afterlife]/the one who denies the principles of Allah that regulate the social order? 2,3He is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage on giving opportunities for those poor so they might earn their living.

4-7Woe to those who are careless, apathetic to their Salah, who fulfill Salah [while they look like they support others financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community] for showing off, and forbid that even small kindnesses should reach to a needy!

Surah Al-Ma’idah 58:

58And when you invite them to Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community], they take it in ridicule and amusement. This is because they are a people who do not reason.

Surah Al-Anfal 35:

35And their support by the Bayt [House]/Kaaba is only to whistle and applause, a show. –Then taste this punishment for you have disbelieved; consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb!-

Surah At-Tawbah 54:

54And it was only their disbelief; their conscious denial of the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, their consious denial of that His Messenger was true messenger, their reluctance to Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community], and unwillingly spending for the cause of Allah that prevented their expenditures from being accepted.

Surah Al-Isra 110:

110Say: “Call Him Allah or call Him Rahman [the One Who shows great mercy on the earth to all living beings that He created]. With whatever thing you call Him, the best names belong to Him. Do not fulfill your Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community] openly nor secretly; whispering. And seek a way between them”.

Surah Al-An’am 92:

92This is the Book full of blessings and confirming what is mentioned within, which We have sent down upon you so you may warn the Mother City and the people nearby. Those who believe in Akhirat [Afterlife] also believe in it and they protect their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually establish and the institutions that enlighten the community].

Surah Al-Ma’arij 22-35:

22Except “Those who fulfill Salah” [those who made supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community their principle].

23Those who fulfill Salah are the ones who maintain their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community].

24,25And those who fulfill Salah are the ones within whose wealth is a known right for those poor who ask and are shy to ask.

26And those who fulfill Salah acknowledge the day of recompense.

27And those who fulfill Salah are the ones who fear the punishment of their Rabb.

–28Indeed, the punishment of their Rabb is not that from which one is safe.-

29-31And those who fulfill Salah are the ones who guard their chastity. –Except for their spouses and those whom their covenants possess318. Because, they will not be condemned when they approach them. Those who seek beyond that; they are the transgressors.-

32And those who fulfill Salah stand behind their trust and promises.

33And those who fulfill Salah fulfill their testimonies.

34And those who fulfill Salah maintain their Salah [principles of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community].

35And these ones who fulfill Salah will be hosted in Jannah [Heaven/Paradise].

Stating the conditions of taking part in salah this way, Our Rabb explained in the following ayat that salah is time-based and trading must not be preferred to salah:

Surah An-Nisa 103:

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

Surah Al-Isra 78-79:

78Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] from setting/downing of the sun until the darkness of the night and ensure the learning-teaching of the day.194 Because learning-teaching of the day is worth seeing.

79And from the night. Also, additionally only for you, fulfill Salah by waking up at night! It is expected that your Rabb will take you to a good position.

Surah Hud 114:

114And fulfill your Salah [establish and maintain supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night, because good deeds remove evil deeds. This indeed is a reminder for those who take lessons.

Surah An-Nur 37:

36-38There are such men in the houses in which Allah lets Himself to be raised and His name to be mentioned, who continuously purify Allah, commerce and business do not distract them from remembering Allah, establishing Salah [establishing and maintaining the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and giving zaqah/tax. They fear a day in which hearts and eyes will overturn so Allah may recompense them with the best of what they did and increase from His bounties for them. And Allah provides for whom He wills without account.

Surah Al-Jumu’ah 9-10:

9O you who have believed! When it is called for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] on the gathering day, hasten for the remembrance of Allah, leave business. If you should know, this is better for you.

10And when Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been concluded, disperse across the earth and seek from the bounties of Allah. And remember Allah often so you may succeed and maintain your status.

WHO PREVENTS SALAH?

Surah Al-Ma’idah 91:

91Truly satan wants to plant animosity among you through Hamr/intoxicants [alcoholic drinks/drugs for pleasure/anything that dulls/numbs consciousness by any means outside of medical uses] and gambling and avert you from remembering Allah, His reminder and Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Then, are you the ones who have abstained/desisted?

Surah Al-Alaq 9-13:

9-10Have you seen the one who forbids a servant when he fulfills Salah [supports financially and spiritually; strives to enlighten the community]? 11-12Have you ever thought, if that servant who fulfills Salah is upon the righteous path or commands taqwa! [being under the guardianship of Allah]! 13Have you ever thought, if that one who forbids the one who fulfills Salah denied and turned away!…

SALAH IS THE EXPRESSION OF BELIEF

Surah At-Tawbah 5:

5And when untouchable months/months of hajj [pilgrimage] have passed, kill those who associate others with Allah wherever you find them, seize them, besiege them and sit for them at every observation point. But if they should repent, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax, then let their ways free. Surely, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

Surah At-Tawbah 11:

11If they repent after this, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax, then they are your brothers in religion. And We explain the Ayat in detail for a people who know.

Surah Al-Baqara 43:

43Establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, acknowledge the oneness of Allah with those who acknowledge the oneness of Allah.

Surah Al-Baqara 45-46:

45-46And seek help through patience, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. –Surely, seeking help through patience and Salah is very difficult for all other than those who show respect; who believe from the bottom of their hearts that they will meet their Rabb and they will be returned to Him.-

Surah Al-Baqara 125:

125And We made this Bayt [House]/the first school for the people a place to return and a place of security. –And get a place for Salah [a place where supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community will take place] from the place that Abraham served.- And We took covenant from Abraham and Ishmael, saying: “Keep my Bayt [House] pure for the travelers, those who worship, who submit, who acknowledge the oneness of Allah”.

Surah Al-Baqara 153:

153O you who have believed! Ask for help through patience and Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Indeed, Allah is with those who have patience.

Surah An-Nisa 77:

Have you not seen/thought about those who were told, “Restrain your hands, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax”? And when war was written upon them, a group from among them fear men in awe with respect, love, knowledge like they fear Allah in awe with respect, love, knowledge or even more. And they said: “Our Rabb! Why have you decreed war upon us, why did not You postpone us for a close time?”. Say: “Enjoyment of the world is very little. Akhirat [Afterlife], on the other hand, is better for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah and you will not be treated unjustly, not even “as much as the speck of a date seed”.

Surah An-Naml 1-3:

1-3Ta, Sin. These are the Ayat of the Qur’an, an explicit book/the book which clarifies sent as a guide to the righteous path and a bringer of good tidings to those believers who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife].

Surah Al-Ahzab 28-34:

28,29O Prophet! Say to your wives: “If you desire the simple worldly life and its adorned attraction, then come, I will pay you a compensation for divorce and release you with a good release. If you desire Allah, His Messenger and the final home, then Allah has definitely prepared a great reward for those among you who do good”.

30,31O women of the Prophet! Whoever of you should commit a clear, abominable immorality, punishment of the crime will be increased double fold. And this is very easy for Allah. And whoever of you shows respect to Allah and His Messenger constantly and does righteous deed, We will give her reward to her twice. And We have prepared for her a noble provision.

32-34O women of the Prophet! You are not like anyone among women; if you enter under the guardianship of Allah, do not speak attractively, those in whose hearts is disease; ill-minded would covet. Speak in a way that is acceptable for all. Be staid in your houses, do not make a display as display of the former ignorance, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. – O people of the house! Truly, Allah intends to remove the impurity from you and purify you.- And remember the Ayat of Allah that are recited in your houses and the laws, rules, principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos. Indeed, Allah is the most gracious, the One Who knows what is hidden, the One Who knows well inner and hidden sides of everything.

Surah Ash-Shura 36-39:

36,39And whatever thing you have been given is the enjoyment of the simple worldly life. Only a temporary benefit of the worldly life. But what is with Allah [blessings, rewards] is better and more lasting for;

those who have believed and rely only on their Rabb,

and those who avoid major of the sins and immorality and those who forgive when they are angry,

and those who respond to the call of their Rabb, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], whose affair is to “mutually find and agree upon the best conclusion of the matter” among themselves, those who spend from that which We have provided for them for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives then others,

and those who help each other when injustice and assault hits them.

Surah Al-Mujadila 12-13:

12O you who have believed! When you whisper with the Messenger [when you have a private conversation with him/receive special service], give sadaqa/public revenue before your conversation. This is better and purer for you. If you are not able to find anything despite this, then Allah is definitely the One Who forgives much and shows great mercy.

13Are you afraid of giving sadaqa/public revenue before your private conversation? And, you did not do it. And Allah accepted your conscious repentance. Then establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is the One Who is all aware of what you do.

Surah Al-Bayyinah 5:

5Yet they were only commanded, to worship Allah as people purifying the religion only for Allah, to establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], to give zaqah/tax. And this is the correct/true/incorruptible religion.

Surah Al-An’am 71-72:

71,72Say: “Shall we invoke those that do not benefit us and do not harm us from among those that are inferior to Allah? Or should we be turned back just like those whom the devils enticed and made them wander on the earth confused while they have companions who invite them to the right and good, saying ‘come to us!’ after Allah has guided us to the righteous path?”. Say: “Surely, the righteous path of Allah is what the true righteous path is. And we have been commanded to be Muslims for Rabb of all universes and to fulfill Salah; establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community and to enter under the guardianship of Allah. And Allah is the One only to Whom we will be gathered”.

SALAH IS NOT FULFILLED FOR INFIDELS AND HYPOCRITES

Surah At-Tawbah 84:

84And do not support anyone who has died from among them, do not stand over his grave. Surely, they are infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb and that His Messenger is the true messenger. And they have died as they have gone astray from the righteous path.

In this ayat, original of the ritual applied as a funeral prayer today is mentioned. The Prophet and believers must not by any means fulfill salah for, provide support to and stand beside the grave of person known to have died as an infidel.

In the classical sources, the reason for sending down this ayah is shown as the Prophet’s leading of performing the funeral prayer of Abdullah b. Ubeyy b. Selül despite he knew he was a hypocrite. However, what is mentioned in this ayat is not prayer but salah.

As can be understood from the ayat, in the cases of demise, people come together at the grave of the deceased and salah was used to be fulfilled for him/her; that is to say, his/her debt, inheritance, will and the aids he/she left for his/her family were being organized. In this ayah, our Rabb commands not to fulfill salah for the polytheists and hypocrites.

For such persons, praying for forgiveness was also prohibited: Surah At-Tawbah 80, 113.

SALAH IS FULFILLED FOR THOSE WHO TURN FROM DISBELIEF AND DISSENSION [ALL KIND OF SUPPORT IS GIVEN]

Surah At-Tawbah 101-104:

101And among those around you of the Bedouin Arabs who are hypocrites. And among the people of Medina are those who have become accustomed to hypocrisy. You do not know them. We know them. We will punish them twice then they will be returned to a great punishment.

102And others have confessed their sins too. And they have mixed a righteous deed with another which was evil. Perhaps, Allah may accept their repentances. Indeed, Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy.

103Take sadaqa/public revenue from their wealth so you may purify them by sadaqa/public revenue. And support them. Surely, your support is reassurance for them. Allah is the One Who hears best, knows best.

104Do they not know that Allah accepts repentances of His servants, takes sadaqa and that Allah is the One Who accepts repentances most, gives many opportunities to repent, shows great mercy?

SALAH IS NOT NEGLECTED EVEN UNDER THE MOST DIFFICULT CONDITIONS

Surah Al-Baqara 238-239:

238,239Collectively maintain the Salat [supporting financially and spiritually; institutions that enlighten the community] and especially the best Salah [the best of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community; Salah of the weekly gathering day]. And stand for Allah, being always respectful; work; keep education-training and social support institution operational. But if you are in a fearsome environment, then maintain, fulfill it while on foot or riding; on the move. And when you are safe and secure, remember Allah as He has taught you that which you do not know.

Surah An-Nisa 101-103:

101And when you set out for a campaign on the earth, if you fear the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will harm you, then there will be no blame upon you if you shorten [shorten your education] Salah [work of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Surely, the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb are explicit enemy for you.

102And when you are among those who are on a campaign and provide training and education for them, let some of them stand/join the training with you. And let them take their weapons with them. And when they have received enough knowledge and are convinced, let them stand behind you. Then, let another group who have not yet received education and training come to join you for training and let them take precautions and carry their weapons with them. The infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb wish that you become negligent of your weapons and belongings so they may suddenly raid upon you. If a trouble reaches you from the rain or you become ill, there will be no blame upon you to leave your weapons. Take your precautions as well. Surely, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

103And when the education-training is completed, remember Allah while standing, sitting or lying on your flanks. When you are in safety, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Indeed, Salah [duty of supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community] has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified periods of time for a long time past.

MUSALLA

The word مصلّى [musalla] is from the root of ص ل و [salv] and infinitive with the letter mim of the verbs of صلّى [salla], يصلّى [yusallî] and means the “place, venue, where salah is fulfilled”. When the word salah was perceived as “prayer”, this word was accepted as “namazgah” [a place where the prayer is performed].

However, musalla is the place where the “mental and financial social supports and activities will be conducted”. This word takes place in the Surah Al-Baqara:

Surah Al-Baqara 125:

125And We made this Bayt [House]/the first school for the people a place to return and a place of security. –And get a place for Salah [a place where supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community will take place] from the place that Abraham served.- And We took covenant from Abraham and Ishmael, saying: “Keep my Bayt [House] pure for the travelers, those who worship, who submit, who acknowledge the oneness of Allah”.

In this ayah, when Abraham was being narrated, an order was sent in a clause in brackets Get a musalla [room to fulfill salah] from the place of Abraham with which constitution of an international musalla [education and social support center] in Mecca where the education school inaugurated by Abraham is situated. Importance and function of Musalla was underlined in the following ayat:

Surah Al-Ma’idah 106:

106O you who have believed! When death is ready for one among you, testimony at the time of bequest is two just people from among you. Or two people who are not from among your people if you are traveling across the earth and disaster of death should strike you. If you doubt, let them wait after Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. Then let them swear by Allah: “We will not sell our oaths for a price even if he should be a relative, we will not hide the testimony of Allah. Otherwise, we will be among the sinners”.

Surah Al-Hajj 34-55:

34,35And for every people with a leader, We made a way of servitude so they may mention His name over the flawless of the animals Allah has given as provision to them. So, your god is the One God. Therefore, be Muslims only for Him. Give the good tidings to those whose hearts shake with awe when Allah is mentioned, those who are patient over what has afflicted them, who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and spend from what We have provided for them for the cause of Allah, who sincerely submit to Allah.

When the historical documents are examined, we see that no independent musalla was acquired during the Meccan period; that the different places like houses, gardens and sheepfolds were used as musalla and masjid [school] during the period of siege; that the believers conducted their meetings, trainings and educations in those places and that they solved their social problems there. In Medina, the area situated in approximately 650-meter distance to the west of the masjid[school] where the mosque called مسجد الغمامة [Masjid-i Ğamame/ Masjid of Cloud] is present today was assigned as a “musalla” and salah [all the social support activities] were established there.

As an evidence of this issue, corruption of religion and emptying the content of concepts, we are providing the following information from Bukhari:

Abu Sa‘id Hudri (r.a) said: “The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was going up to the musalla on the day of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The first thing he started to do was salah. Then he was turning back from salah, standing up when the congregation was sitting in order, preaching to them by turning to them and giving his recommendations and commands. He even used to dispatch a troop if he wished to do so or order another thing and then turn back to Medina from musalla”.

Abu Sa‘id told the following: “While people were doing like this (complaint with the sunnah) at all times, I finally went up to the musalla on a Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha day with Mervan ibn Hakem. At that time Mervan was the ruler of Medina. When we arrived at the Musalla, I saw that there was the mimbar made by Kesir ibnu’s-Salt there and that Mervan was attempting to rise on that mimbar before he performed salah! I (to prevent) caught his outfit and drew him. He drew me as well. Finally, he climbed on the mimbar and performed khutba before the salah. I told to him:

– I swear you have changed (the Sunnah of the Prophet).

He answered:

– Ya Eba Sa‘id! The thing you know has gone (that is to say, it is no longer enforceable).

I said:

– The thing I know is, I swear, more benevolent than what I don’t know (according to what you say).

Mervan said the following upon this:

– As people would not sit for us after the salah, I replaced [khutba] it to perform before the salah.[26]

SAJDAH [SUBMISSION]

The first appearance of the word sajdah means “a camel’s bending of its neck for its owner to climb on it” and “the bending of the branches of a prolific date trees suitable for its owners convenient stretch and picking”. Later on, the word has come to be used as “loyalty of the people by nodding on the reliefs on the money the kings have printed”.[27]

In this case, سجدة [sajdah] means “surrendering of a person consciously to another –by accepting the other party is stronger than him/her– submission, and not get out of his/her authority”. “The sajdah of the angels to Adam” mentioned in the Qur’an has such meaning too. That is to say, the angels [natural forces] –as he was stronger than them– submitted to Adam [knowledgeable person].

In the word sajdah does not include the meaning of “lying flat”. This action is expressed with the word خرور [harûr]. Thus, in some ayat, it is mentioned as خرّوا سجّداً [harrû sücceden] which means “they prostrated in submission”.

The ayat containing the expression of “prostrating in submission” are the following:

Surah Yusuf 100:

100And he exalted his father and mother upon a high throne. And all of them submitted to him. And Joseph said: “My father! This is the interpretation of what I saw. Indeed my Rabb has made it true. My Rabb certainly did favor to me by getting me out of prison and bringing you through the desert after satan sown enmity between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who gives bounties to whatever He wills. Indeed He is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker”.

Surah Al-Sajdah 15:

15Only those who fall in prostration, submitting when they are reminded and those who purify from deficiencies with the praise of their Rabb and who do not act arrogantly believe in Our Ayat.

Surah Al-Isra 107-109:

107,108Say: “Whether you believe in the Qur’an or you do not; those who were given knowledge before; when the Qur’an is recited, they fall in prostration, submitting. And they say: “Purified is our Rabb from all deficiencies. And the promise of our Rabb will certainly be fulfilled”.

109And they fall upon their chins, crying. And the Qur’an increases their respect and humility.

There is “falling to the ground” because of fear, which is not Sajdah:

Surah Al-A‘raf 143:

143When Moses arrived to the place on the time We had assigned and his Rabb spoke to him. Moses said: “O my Rabb! Show me Yourself so I can look at You!”. And his Rabb said to him: “You can never see me but look at that mountain, if it should remain in its place then you will see Me”. Then when his Rabb manifested Himself to the mountain, it scrambled and then Moses fell unconscious. When he recovered his consciousness, he said: “I purify You, I have turned to You; I have repented and I am the first of the believers”.

Prostrations of the believers in the prayer was the way of their exhibition of submission to Allah in order to fulfill the order of Pray to your Rabb by exalting Him and lowering yourselves continuously and secretly/openly; serve the prayer (Surah Al-A‘raf 55), as the expression of loyalty and submission was by means of prostration in the past.

After explaining the meaning of the word Sajdah this way, it becomes easier to understand the words of “Sajdah” in the Qur’an accurately.

For example, the words of Sajdah in the following ayat mean “submitting to someone else consciously–as he/she is powerful–”:

Surah Yusuf 4:

4When Joseph said to his father: “O my father! Indeed I have seen eleven stars, the sun and the moon; I have seen them submitting to me”216

Surah Yusuf 100:

100And he exalted his father and mother upon a high throne. And all of them submitted to him. And Joseph said: “My father! This is the interpretation of what I saw. Indeed my Rabb has made it true. My Rabb certainly did favor to me by getting me out of prison and bringing you through the desert after satan sown enmity between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who gives bounties to whatever He wills. Indeed He is the One Who knows best, the One Who is the best law maker”.

Submission of his siblings and parents to Joseph means “their giving of their life orders to the control of him and not getting out of his authority”.

Surah Al-A‘raf 161:

161They were once told: “Dwell in that city and eat whatever you will from therein and say “Hitta” [forgive our sins]! and enter through the door as submitted. We will forgive your sins and increase to the doers of good”.

Here, sajdah does not mean lying at the gate of the town but “to submit to the authority of that town”. Same issue was mentioned in Surah Al-Baqara 58 and Surah An-Nisa 154 as well.

Apart from the submission conducted consciously, there is a willy-nilly submission in the Qur’an, which is “submission of the entities other than humans that they do willy-nilly in accordance to their creation and fates”:

Surah Ar-Ra‘d 15:

15And those who are in the heavens/universe and on the earth and their shadows submit only to Allah willingly or unwillingly.

Surah An-Nahl 49:

And living creatures and the forces of the nature that are in the heavens/universe and on the earth submit to Allah without arrogance.

Surah Al-Hajj 18:

18Have you not seen/thought about that whoever is in the heavens/universe and on the earth, the sun, the moon, stars, mountains, trees, moving creatures and many of the people submit to Allah? And many of them are the ones upon whom the punishment has been justified. And whomever Allah humiliates; there is none to exalt him. Surely, Allah does what He wills.

MASJID

مسجد [masjid] is the infinitive with the letter mim [name of a place] of the verb of سجد يسجد [secede, yescüdü] and means the “place where Sajdah is performed/caused to be performed”, which is unrelated with the prostrating oneself in the prayers performed today. This means “The place where the persons who think contradictorily and act contradictorily are convinced, submitted to the truth”; in short, “education-training, convincing area”.

With this meaning, masjid is the “areas where the mental dimensions of salah are established”. Musalla is the area where the financial aspects of salah, mental and social support are applied through large participations”. Prophet established the salah in the masjid in narrow frame and at the “musalla” in the broader frame [in crowded participations like eids, weekly meetings, funeral, and war preparation].

Hence, the word salah derived from the root of ص ل و [salv] and its derivatives are not related with the known “prayer” today in any way. Yes, while something different from salah, “prayer” is also present in the Qur’an, which is also Allah’s order. Thus, every believer must perform his/her prayer duty.

RUKU

Ruku reminds everyone to “bowing down and bending of the waist by inclining while standing in prayer” because the word was carved into the minds this way centuries ago. In the classical works, it was expressed that the purpose of ruku specified in the ayah was “entire prayer” and that through the “cüz’iyet metonymy” art, part of the prayer is mentioned but the intention was for the entirety. In all the interpretations and tafsirs, the word was used with this meaning and the expression of performruku was understood as “perform prayer”. In this case, the meaning of the ayah has taken the form of “When it is said to them ‘perform prayer’, they do not. Woe to the deniers on that day!”

Understanding the ayat in this manner is wrong in our opinion because there was no order in terms of prayer in question when this surah was sent down. It is already meaningless to say “Perform prayer” to the people who have not yet believed. As it is necessary for the accurate understanding of the ayah to know the right meanings of the words, the word ruku was looked up in Lisan al-Arab and following meanings were reached:

4) Ruku means “not worshipping to idols but submission to Allah” [acting as hanif]. The Jahilliyah Arabs called raki [performer of ruku] and rakea ilellah [performed ruku for Allah] to those people who do not worship idols but only Allah among themselves.[28]

In our opinion, the meaning in the 4th clause is the meaning that ensures the accurate perception of the ayah. In this case, it possible to translate the ayah as follows: “When it is said to them ‘Don’t worship idol, worship the one and only Allah’, they do not” or “When it is said to them ‘Submit to the truth and obey, they do not submit and obey’“.

After this judgment, by saying O woe to the deniers on that day, the deniers were threatened for the tenth and last time. Accordingly, intention was to tell them almost the following: “You liked the world and its tastes. Nevertheless, if you had not turned away from your Creator, if you had believed, if you had submitted to Him and you were in the position of asking for the worldly tastes and if you committed sins without deliberation along with your belief, you would have had a chance to get rid of the wrath of the hell and to acquire a reward.[29]

AZAN [ANNOUNCEMENT]

Upon the explanation of salah and establishment of salah, the question of when the believers are to come together for them takes place. Presently, there are many modern ways for this call/announcement such as letters, telephone, telegram, newspaper, radio and TV, electronic mail, sms etc. But the place of “azan” is different. Azan is not a mere announcement but a teaching and warning message for the societies it covers. As people debate “whether azan can be Turkish or not” and azan has lost its spirit and function in the society, we needed to mention this issue.

As done to many religious principle, azan was corrupted, diverted from its origin, and it lost its essence-spirit. It is presently in the position of notifying the time of something, the time of prayer, like the bells of churches or civil defense sirens. Acting through the acceptance that it is like this in the actual debates, remarks are made as follows:

Azan is Islam’s unchanging symbol. It is the indicator of the presence and identity of Muslims wherever in the world. There is a custom and agreement in view of its recital in its original language for 15 centuries. As the actual purpose of azan is the notify that the time has come and to invite for salah, delivery of such invitation to the Muslims speaking different languages can only be possible by addressing to the common consciousness of them and its method is to recite it through the known essential utterances.[30]

As this is the case, the discussions like the recital of azan by the people with nice voice, whether times of azan can be recited with different musical modes and conflict can be settled by a central announcement system, etc. becomes the agenda. Acting through this logic, blessed azan becomes no different from bells-sirens.

Yes. Azan today is a pile of slogans notifying about the times of prayer and composition performed with the musical modes. Its meaning has been lost and its message is no longer taken into account. The persons who recite and hear them do not know its meaning and understand its message. Only the notification of the time of the prayer makes the hearers the time of prayer has come. Let us come to the point:

In the dictionary, azan means “hailing, making known and announcement”. As a concept, azan is the special expression in order to announce when the “salahs will take place; that is to say, when the Muslims are to come together”.

The word azan takes place in the Qur’an in various forms in dictionary meaning. As a concept, instead of the word azan, the word nida is used: Surah Al-Ma’idah 58, Surah Jumu’ah 9.

Azan is a special form of invitation belonging to the Muslims. Its wording was determined through the joint decisions of Prophet and Sahabah [close friends of the Prophet]. Azan was started to be applied in the time of Medina. In Medina, the Muslims were waiting for the times of salah in their houses, going out to the street when they heard the azan and making calls by saying “es-Salah, es-Salah!”. When Muslims multiplied and expanded around the area, a way of solution was sought to announce to everyone and discussions were conducted. Different proposals and views were scrutinized. Finally, the azan of today was adopted.[31]

It is asserted in the Shiite sources that azan actually had the expression of “hayye ale’l-hayri’l-amel” [come on to the benevolent works] but Hz. Omar abolished it. Hz. Bilal recited the morning azan for the first time by climbing on the roof of a high house belonging to a woman from the Nejjarites.[32] This way, azan was started to be applied in Hegira II year. Then, a special place was made at the back of the Masjid al-Nabawi to perform azan.

Muslims’ azan does not consist merely of announcements like those of the Christians and Zoroastrians. Azan that has a profound meaning and supreme message and that invites the believers to obey Allah, to be conscious, to be alert, to taqwa [entering under the guardianship of Allah] and Islamic rear up is at the same time a manifest of freedom.

But today, the reciting person does not know what he says and the hearer does not understand its profound meaning and supreme message. Only they understand the lunch, mid-afternoon, and evening times have come. This type of azan is not related with the azan targeted by Islam. Azan is not only a call of coming together for prayer. Actually, there is no need for a call for prayer. As can be seen in the issue of prayer below, prayer is a worship that can be performed at all times. Thus, azan is an announcement of belief, an invitation of strengthening belief and an announcement of unity and shows the Muslims the way of salvation by means of inviting to only Allah and a only leader and brining salah to the forefront. Azan is at the same time a reminder; it invites Muslims to worship to Allah and calls the non-Muslims to surrender to Allah. Salah is the symbol of being a servant to Allah and one of the basic pillars of religion.

It must be remembered that azan is not only heard but also recited consciously with the muezzin.

Hence, azan must notify about the times of salah and take people to the salvation by exciting the hearts and strengthening the belief.

CAN AZAN BE IN ENGLISH? (NOT CAN IT BE READ)

As it is not possible to translate azan word-to-word, translation does not reflect the harmony, impact and profound meaning in its original. However, the utterances can be translated; the intention can be told and the message can be transmitted this way.

If the listeners do not know, understand and become unable to perceive the words the listen to, no purpose of azan can be realized and no one is impressed. Only the time of salah (for the time being, prayer) time is understood to have come. If this was the intention, it would be easier and more practical to do this with the modern devices of the time. Then, in addition to the original of azan, its translation must be given as well. The call must be done in two languages and the messages of the religion must be transferred to the masses.

Azan can be recited in Arabic with its English translation as follows:

Allahu akbar (Allah is greater than …)

Eşhedü enla ilahe illallah (I witness that there is absolutely no other deity than Allah)

These important messages must be served to the masses without choking with the symphonic and harmonic features by the persons with good articulation, announcers and muezzins.

There have been some operations regarding azan in history. Omar has removed the expression of hayye ale’l-hayri’l-amel in azan, added es-salatu hayru’n-mine’n-nevm [Prayer is more benevolent than sleep] for the morning azan. Shiites also created differences on azan. They protected the expressions of hayye ale’l-hayri’l-amel and made the eşhedü enne aliyyen veliyyullah, eşhedü enne aliyyen huccetullah additions.

The utterances of the azan are not unchangeable. Vociferating for salah was assented by Allah: Al-Ma’idah 58 and Jumu’ah 9. What matters is the delivery of the message in the form and in the spirit.

JAMAAT and ESTABLISMENT OF SALAH WITH JAMAAT

The origin of the word jamaat is the word jam, which means “coming together, gathering”. Jamaat, in the dictionary, means “human community, group of humans coming together. In its broader sense, jamaat is the “community of people who come together around and idea and belief”.

As a Fiqh/religious laws term, jamaat “is the community of believers who establish salah together with a leader.”

In its widest meaning, it is a concept that expresses the community of the ummah [people, community] of Islam. All the Muslims in the world are a “jamaat” as a whole. The main feature of this jamaat is that they have the same religion and same belief. Wherever they live in the world, all the Muslims are the members of the jamaat of Islam.

Jamaat is not the people brought together by the conditions or by coincidence. Members of a jamaat are not the people who do not know what they are doing and who are unconscious people unaware of the conditions under which they come together. Jamaat is a conscious association, not a useless crowd. Useless crowd is the mass brought together by the circumstances and its way and goal are not clear. It is a herd brought together through an interest, by and effective wind or a keen propagandist. A herd is taken by drifting by smart keen shepherds in the way that they wish.

In order for a group of people to be a jamaat, they must come together around a certain idea and to attain a certain target, they must depend on certain principles, and they must be led by a competent leader identified with the jamaat.

IMPORTANCE OF BEING JAMAAT

People must live altogether as required by their creation. Islam propounds to train and enliven the Muslims as a conscious society. At the same time, it settles and develops the consciousness of living, devotion, attention to others, compliance with righteousness and law, solidarity, sharing the sorrows, division of blessings and burdens. Our religion wishes these ideals are carried out in the most beautiful way and they must be done through the consciousness of worship.

Principles of Islam, which is a jamaat religion, can be applied most beautifully and perfectly with jamaat. Our religion has ordered that Muslims become a conscious jamaat. Our Prophet showed such example jamaat by personally constituting it. Jamaat is a protective armor and a stronghold.

Persons who become jamaat know better, like, show respect and provide support and help each other. They complete the incomplete parts of each other this way and they share the pain of each other just like a body.

Our Rabb says about this issue as follows:

Surah As-Saff 4:

4Surely, Allah likes those who fight in His path in a row as though they are a wall joined firmly.

See how the Prophet explains it:

Abu Mûsa al-Eş‘ari has sent word: the Prophet said in his khutba, “Loyalty of a believer to another believer is like a wall clamping stones to each other” and then clasped the fingers of his both hands. The Prophet used to sit at the masjid. If someone came to him to ask him for something and wished something from him, he would turn his face to us and say the following:

— Attest me; you will be given the fee/reward of this good deed. In addition, Allah certainly conducts that which He wishes upon the request of His Prophet.[33]

Muslims become a jamaat on the understanding of the Qur’an. Between them are fellowship, solidarity, help, devotion and respect. Among them, there are not the things like lineage, class, tribe, occupation and regional superiority.

The Qur’an invites the Muslims to come together around the Qur’an.

Surah Ali-Imran 103:

103And cling firmly onto the rope of Allah all together/guard yourselves with the rope of Allah, do not become divided and remember the favor of Allah upon you: When you were enemies to each other and Allah brought your hearts together. Then you became brothers by His favor. You were on the edge of a fire pit and He saved you from there. Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat/evidences/signs for you so you may follow the righteous path you are guided.

Woe to those who degenerate Islam by ascribing the rumor of “Dispute in my ummah [people, community] is mercy and grace” to the Prophet who said “Jamaat is mercy and grace, division is torture” by complying with Allah’s words of And together cling onto the rope of Allah/guard yourselves with the rope of Allah, do not split and remember the blessings of Allah upon you!

HOW SALAH BECAME PRAYER

We expressed above that prayer [praying by lowering] is Allah’s order also. We understand the fact that the expression of Pray to your Rabb by exalting Him and lowering yourselves continuously (Surah Al-A‘raf 55) in the ayah is plural, prayer must be collectively performed as it increases the sincerity, excitement and agitation.

However, we explained above in the issue of salah that, salah must also be fulfilled with sincerity and salah infested with hypocrisy will not work in details. It is understood that with a salah to be fulfilled in sincerity and invocation that will be performed with humbleness and lowering ourselves in the Qur’an and what is reasonable and acceptable is to perform these two duties together. This way, salah will be purified from hypocrisy and become beneficial for the person. Hence, the Prophet did so and made people do so. According to the informations at hand, the Prophet performed “praying with lowering” [led prayer] collectively in every meeting and then the “salah” [mental and financial support program] in every meeting.

However, as we explained in the “Musalla” section above, because of the oppression of Mervan and similar ones, the Prophet’s applications were altered, full meaning of the concept of “salah” was emptied, salah disappeared from the musalla and masjids and only “prayer” was performed. This way, the word salah was translated to the literature as “prayer”.

As it is known, the musalla and masjids are considered “beytullah” [House of Allah]. As we explained in the subject of Jumu’ah above, the people coming together at the beytullah can conduct all kinds of political and administrative criticisms and recommendations freely without being subject to investigation, within the Islamic limits. The cruel rulers who diverted from Islam and became uncomfortable with criticisms prohibited the establishment of salah at the masjids and musallas and allowed only the prayer with lowering. In the prayers performed during daytime, silence reading is an application that has transferred from those periods of oppression.

Later on, “salah” has come to be understood only as “prayer” [praying by lowering]. The handmaids of the palace wrote in their books “Salah is pray, prayer” and those of them who are relatively honest, like Ragıb, passed the buck to others, by saying, “Dictionary experts say, ‘salah, is the prayer, congratulation, exalting’”

This must be remembered at all times that with the domination of the earth by the Islamic rules, interests of many fractions [many of Umayyites and Hasimites, deniers, hypocrites] were sabotaged. They, instead of defying Islam directly, tried the way of restructuring Islam in line with their interests after corrupting it. By the deed of the ulama of the palace [Multiplication of the source of the religion and fabrication of hadiths], basic concepts of the religion were distorted and as in the example of “salah” the concepts were provided new meanings; this way Islam was reversed. Such “fake religion” created by their oppressive methods they established was imposed to the societies. The governances that continued the Umayyads’ understanding subsequently [the Abbasids, Mamluks, and the Ottomans after Yavuz Selim] continued this misunderstanding and implementation. They deemed those people who wished to embrace Islam and the Qur’an (many of whom were the Prophet’s relatives and friends) deserving of all kinds of cruelty to the extent that they laid siege around Mecca, destroyed the Kaaba and decimated thousands of Muslims. For this reason, the governors of the period were registered in the history as “tyrants”. This way, the fake religion became a system and still continues its existence in a very wide geography.[34]

QIBLA

Another significant issue that must be clarified when it comes to salah is “qibla” because some asserted that the ayat of Surah Al-Baqara 142-151 that includes qibla as a subject matter “bring the condition that the face must be turned toward the Kaaba in the prayer to ensure unity in drift” and like the concept of “salah” the concept of “qibla” became emptied and they imposed it this way for centuries. However, as it will be seen in the following analyses, there are no words of “prayer” and even “salah” in the mentioned ayat and the issue of qibla is entirely unrelated with the prayer.

The origin of the word القبلة [qibla] is the root of ق ب ل [q-b-l]. This word’s قَبل [qabl] form means “before” and قُبل [qubl] form means “front” and opposite of the word دُبُر [dübür/back]. The word qıble, around the axis of the meaning of “front” means جهة [cihet = direction shown by the face; front direction].[35]

When attention is paid to the ayat in the Qur’an where it is used, it is seen that the word qibla is not in the meaning of “front direction” physically according to the physical location but used as “the direction on which one is present or toward which one steers in terms of opinion, belief and principle” that is to say, “social- political target; strategy”. Then, it is more appropriate to refer the word qibla, concisely as “target” or “strategy”.

Surah Al-Baqara 142:

142The fools among the people will say: “What is it that averts those from the actual goal/the strategy?”. Say: “The east and the west [all directions] belong only to Allah. He guides to the straight path whomever He wills/whoever wills”.

In this ayat, it is preliminarily explained that halfwits will accuse the believers by saying, “What is it that averts them from the qibla [target, strategy]? and hence, and a miracle is presented by means of bringing tides from the unseen. On the other hand, the Prophet and believers understood that there would be the accusations to be made and the responses to be given to them and there would be intellectual attacks they would be subject to when they advance toward their targets which will be given to them thanks to Allah’s notification and they are prepared to confront them.

The word سفيه[sefîh] means “halfwit and light” and mentioned in the ayah as süfeha [halfwit] in plural. What is meant with this “sefih people” who speak unrealistically, who tell lies and slander, deliberately or not are the Jews and hypocrites in Medina:

Surah Al-Baqara 13:

13And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed”, they say: “Shall we believe as those fools have believed”. Be careful! Indeed, they are the ones who are fools. But, they do not know.

Following quotes and views about the reason for sending down and ambiance of Surah Al-Baqara 142, the first of the ayat regarding the issue of qibla, are present in the classical sources:

According to the rumors of the imams of hadith, Ibn Omar –as told by Malik– said: When the Muslims were performing prayer at the Kuba, someone came to them and said:

– On this night, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was sent down the Qur’an and he was ordered to turn to the Kaaba.

And they turned there. At that time, their faces were turned to the area of Damascus [Bayt al-Maqdis]; they turned to the Kaaba.

According to Bukhari’s quote from al-Bera, Prophet (Peace be upon him) performed prayer for sixteen or seventeen months toward the Beytu’l Makdis. However, he was wishing his qibla to be to the Beytullah. His first prayer he performed (toward the Beytullah) was a mid-afternoon prayer. A community performed prayer as well. One of the people who performed prayer with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) passed by a people of masjid who was bowing and said the following:

– I witness by the name of Allah that I performed prayer together with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) toward Mecca.

Upon this, they turned toward the Beytullah as they were. Before the replacement of the qibla toward the Beytullah, there were persons who performed prayer toward the (old) qibla and were killed [fell a martyr] and we did not know what to tell about them. Upon this, Almighty Allah sent His ayat of Allah would never make you lose your faith (Surah Al-Baqara 143).

As it is seen, the mid-afternoon prayer is mentioned in this narration, while morning prayer in Maliq’s prayer: This order was given to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the Selemeites Masjid after the leading the two-rakah of the fardth and he turned his face to the Kaaba at the time of the prayer. Thus, the masjid was given the name of Masjid al-Kiblahtain [a masjid with two qiblas]. As mentioned by Ebu’l-Ferec, Abbad b. Nehik was together with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in this prayer. Abu Omar stated in his work entitled et-Temhid that Nuveylei, daughter of Eslem, and one of the women of the Akabe:

– I was performing the noon prayer. At that time, Abbad b. Bişr b. Kayzi came and said the following: “The Prophet (Peace be upon him) has turned to qibla –or the Beytu’l Haram-. Upon this, males passed to place of the females and vice versa”.

It was also said that this ayah was sent when prayer was not being performed. The narrations of many are like this. The first prayer performed towards the Kaaba was the mid-afternoon prayer. Allah’ knows best what the truth is.

Another one says: “When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came to Medina, he wanted to warm the hearts of the Jews. He turned to their qibla to encourage them to believe in Islam. When their stubbornness was revealed clearly and when he became hopeless about them, he kept looking to the sky as he wished to be turned to the Kaaba. He liked the Kaaba as it was Abraham’s qibla”.

Let us specify here forthwith that the “qibla” stated in the Qur’an is in no way related with “the direction taken in a prayer” and the change of qibla is also unrelated with turning from al-Masjid al-Aqsa to Masjid Al-Haram. Such understandings were put into practice on the course of time in order to vitiate Islam and to render the principles worthless because an attempt to designate a direction for acting as a servant is above all contrary to the Qur’an:

Surah Al-Baqara 115:

115And the east and the west [all directions] belong only to Allah. Then, wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Whose knowledge and mercy is vast and limitless, the One Who knows best.

“Turning during the praying by lowering yourselves [in prayer] is not related with turning the face toward a direction physically; it is a spiritual turning, which is understood from the following ayat:

Surah Ar-Rum 31-32:

31,32Enter under the guardianship of Allah, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] as the ones who turn to Him from their hearts, do not be among those who associate others with Allah; those who have divided their religion asunder, who have divided into separatist groups. –Each separatist group brags with that which is with them.-

Surah Al-Mumtahinah 4-5:

4,5There is definitely an excellent example for you in Abraham and those who were with him –except the saying of Abraham for his father: “I will certainly ask forgiveness for you. And I have no power against anything from Allah”-. When Abraham and those with him said to their people: “We are away from you and what you worship from among those that are inferior to Allah. We have denied you. And there has emerged an animosity and hatred between you and us forever until you believe in Allah alone. O our Rabb! We have relied only on You, turned to You. And to return is only to You. O our Rabb! Do not make us a tool of trial for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Yourself and the fact that You are Rabb! Forgive us! O our Rabb! Surely, You are the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible!”.

After demonstrating that an attempt to determine absolutely a direction for serving for Allah is contrary to the Qur’an, another thing to do within the frame of the analysis of Surah Al-Baqara 142 is to determine what is meant with the words of Jews and hypocrites specified in the ayat with the words of What is it that averts them from their qibla [target, social-political strategy]? [What is the Muslims’ qibla and to which they turn]. However, in this determination, there is an issue that must not be overlooked: the concept of “aversion from the qibla” in no way means putting from the earlier targets and strategies aside but it means that new targets and strategies were determined as an addition to the initial ones!

FIRST QIBLA [SOCIAL TARGET, STRATEGY]:

In the Qur’an, in the ayat that had taken place until sending down these ayat since the first revelation, it appears that the target and strategy are “teaching of the oneness, reminder, warning, striving [jihad] with the Qur’an, giving good tidings, patience and behaving with forgiveness and tolerance”.

NEW QIBLA:

As can be seen in the following ayat clearly, the new targets and strategies of the Muslims are constituted by the establishment of salah [inauguration of schools, creation of the social support institutions and sustainment of them], collection of zaqah/tax, invite all to good, instruct good deeds that are accepted by all, preclude evil via revelation and common sense, acting through principles that prevent cruelty and ensure justice and battling if necessary … in summary, practice of Abraham’s applications in Masjid Al-Haram; becoming a state with the structuring oriented to education-training.

Surah Al-Baqara 143:

143Thus We have made you a righteous people with a leader so you may testify over the people and the Messenger may testify over you. And We have determined the goal/strategy that is upon you so We may separate; mark and show/declare those who would follow the Messenger from those who would turn back on their heels. This goal/strategy We have determined is indeed very difficult for the people except for those whom Allah guides. And Allah would never make you lose your faith. No doubt that Allah is very compassionate, very merciful to all people.

With this ayah, it was specified that because of the enlargement of the qibla [target], the last ummah [people, community] would be a benevolent people, community that will witness the other peoples, communities and the believers and the persons who looked as believers to be distinguished thanks to this and the new target will be very heavy and difficult for those who do not believe.

Indeed, “establishment of salah”, which was one of the new targets was found to be very heavy by those who lacked of sincerity and this situation was expressed in different ayat expressly:

Surah Al-Baqara 45-46:

45-46And seek help through patience, Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]. –Surely, seeking help through patience and Salah is very difficult for all other than those who show respect; who believe from the bottom of their hearts that they will meet their Rabb and they will be returned to Him.-

Surah An-Nisa 142:

Surely, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah. Yet, He is the deceiver upon them. And when they stand for Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; enlightening the community]/ go into public, they move lazily, being irresolute hesitating between the two, they do not stay with the believers nor the infidels, they make a display to the people. And they remember Allah but a little.

In addition, these people with no belief, as explained in the Surat of At-Tawbah and Al-Anfal, did everything not to take part in the war and to make the Muslims give up the war and turned back upon every opportunity:

Surah Ali-Imran 144:

144And Muhammad is only a messenger. Indeed, messengers have passed before him. If he dies or is killed, will you turn back? Whoever turns back, let him know that he can not harm Allah at all. And Allah will recompense those who repay for the blessings they have.

Surah Ali-Imran 149:

149O you who have believed! If you obey the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, they will turn you back on your heels and then you would become among the losers.

The remark that the ummah [people, community] that turn to the new qibla would be a benevolent people, community thanks to the new qibla is based on the principle that this people, community would conduct “invite all to good, instruct good deeds that are accepted by all, preclude evil via revelation and common sense” and expand outside for knowing and exalting Allah, in order to perform the targets and strategies given to them.

Surah Ali-Imran 110:

110You are the best community who is brought forth for mankind. You command that which is accepted good by everyone, forbid that which is accepted evil by Wahy [Revelation] and common sense and you believe in Allah. If the People of the Book had believed, it would indeed have been better for them. Some of them are believers but most of them are those who have gone astray from the path.

VASAT UMMAH

The وسط [v-s-t] root word is spelled as vesat and vest. When spelled as vesat it is a noun and when spelled as vest, it is an adverb in use.

This word means “the part of a thing, belonging to it, between its two ends”. (We can perceive it as the own middle part of something). It is used as “I grabbed the rope in the middle”, “I broke the arrow in the middle”.

In the customs of the Arabs, the mid part of something is the most benevolent and beneficial part of it. For a Bedouin who will ride on his horse or camel, the most benevolent part of the horse or the camel is not the back but the mid part of its waist. Best benevolent place for the sheepfold he/she will establish for the camels is the mid part of the pasture. The most benevolent [beautiful and suitable] part of a necklace to wear a pearl or diamond is its mid part. In addition, most beautiful and beneficial behavior is the moderate one among the same type of behaviors. For example, generosity is a behavior that is between stinginess and extravagancy. Courage is a behavior between cowardice and aggressiveness.

For this reason, the word وسط[vest] has been generalized with the meaning of “benevolent, beneficial, superior”. When the Arabs want to say, “He is from the evsat of the tribe”, they mean, “He is the benevolent, beneficial, and honorable man of the tribe”. Or, when they say, “Look at this vesit person”, they mean, “Look at this benevolent, honorable person”.

And the expression in this ayah, “Thus We have made you a righteous people with a leader so you may testify over the people and the Messenger may testify over you” (Surah Al-Baqara 143) means “And we have made you such an ummah [people, community] that is benevolent, beneficial, and honorable”.

WITNESSING OF THIS UMMAH [COMMUNITY] TO THE PEOPLE

The fact that this ummah [people, community] would bear witness to the other peoples is mentioned in the Surah Al-Hajj in addition to the ayah that is hour subject matter:

Surah Al-Hajj 78:

And strive for the cause of Allah properly so you may win victory, maintain your status. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you any difficulty in the religion; the religion/lifestyle of your ancestor, Abraham. He has named you “Muslims” before and in the Qur’an so the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. Therefore, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax and hold fast to Allah. He is your familiar Who guides, helps, protects. How an excellent familiar Who guides, helps, protects, how an excellent helper He is!

As it is known, the first strategy in Islam was the warning of those who are close first and then Ummu’l-Kura [Mecca] and surrounding areas. Because of the determination of the new qibla [–so to speak – raising the bar of the target and strategy], it would not be sufficient to warn the acquaintances and the people of Mecca but it would be necessary to invite the peoples in distant places to Islam. That is to say, the wahy (revelation) would be delivered to them, the commands and negations would be notified, attempts would be made to convince them, their attitude toward such invitation would be checked, and thus, this ummah [people, community] would be the witness to the other peoples, communities in view of whether they comply with the truth or not.

Surah Al-Isra 15:

15Whoever follows the path that is guided, he will follow the path that is guided for his own good. And whoever goes astray, he will go astray against his own good. And no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another. And We have never been the Ones Who would punish unless We sent a messenger.

As no punishment would be charged without warning, this ummah [people, community] would be the witness that whether the reminder has been delivered to the other peoples, communities or not.

So, with this new qibla [target strategy] determined, the Prophet started cross-border conveyances, commands and negations; sent letters to the top rulers of the surrounding societies, which were served to Necaşisi in Abyssinia, Mukavkıs in Egypt, Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, Iranian Emperor KAl-Isra, Oman Meliqs Ceyfer and Abd, and al-Ahsa governor al-Münzir. We are presenting the letter sent to Mukavkıs, the ruler of Egypt in the period:

THE LETTER WHICH WAS SENT TO MUKAVKIS IN EGYPT

In the name of All-merciful and Gracious Allah. From Allah’s servant and messenger Mohammed to Mukavkıs, raised by the Copts. Salam [health, peace, happiness…] be upon the ones following the true path.

Accordingly, I am calling you with a complete invitation of Islam. Be in Islam. You will ultimately be in safety and peace. Allah will double your reward. If you stay away from this, the sin of all the Copts will be collected on you. Say: “O Companions of the Scripture! Let us meet on a word that we share; the principle of ‘let us worship none other than Allah, not associate anything with him and not adopt gods from among the subordinates of Allah’. If the Companions of the Scripture turn away despite this, say, “Witness that we surely are the Muslims. (Surah Ali-Imran 64)

Allah’s messenger Mohammed.

As a result, this ummah [people, community] will deliver Allah’s messages to all the humans and watch whether they have faith and witness like witnessing of the Prophet Jesus.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 117:

I only said to them what You had commanded me; ‘Worship Allah Who is my Rabb and your Rabb’. And as long as I was among them, I was a witness over them. But when you took my life; reminded me that which I had done in the past and what I had failed to do while being obliged to, then You became the One Who observes them. And indeed, You are the witness over all things.

Surah Az-Zumar 69:

69And the area on that day will shine with the light of your Rabb, the book will be placed, prophets and witnesses will be brought and it will be judged between them in truth. And they will not be treated unjustly.

Surah An-Nur 13:

13Why did not those who brought forth this accusation bring four witnesses for this? Since they did not bring witnesses, then it is they who are the liars in the sight of Allah.

With the expression of And Allah would never make you lose your faith. No doubt, Allah is the Most Passionate, the Most Merciful over all people (Al-Baqara 143), believers are encouraged for service as in all times.

Surah Ali-Imran 195:

195And, their Rabb responded them: “Surely, I never let the deed of any worker among you get lost, whether male or female –that you all are same-. Therefore, those who emigrated, were driven out from their homes, were harmed in My cause, who fought and are killed; I will definitely remove their evil deeds from them and admit them into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow, as a reward from Allah. And Allah is the One Who has the good of the reward with Him”.

Surah An-Naml 89:

89Whoever brings a good, there will be a better one than what he brought for him/there will be a good for him for what he brought. And they are the ones who will be safe from fear on that day.

Surah Al-Baqara 144:

144We certainly see what you expect from Us. Now, We will turn you to a goal/strategy that you will be pleased with. Now, turn your face towards the direction of Masjid al-Haram/the untouchable educational institution; always concentrate on education. And you, wherever you are, turn your faces towards it! Those who have been given the Book surely know that this duty is the truth coming from their Rabb. And Allah is not unaware, uninformed of what they do.

While it is specified in this ayah that some problems of the Prophet will be eliminated and that he would be pleased as well, the new qibla is marked although the target and strategies are not explained completely, and first our Prophet and then all the Muslims were ordered to turn their faces to the “direction of the Masjid Al-Haram”. There is a very important point to be paid attention here, which is the fact that faces will be turned to the “direction of the Masjid Al-Haram” not to the “Masjid Al-Haram” itself.

The word vech in the ayah means not only a “face” but also “the entire self and existence” because vech [face] in Arabic is the most determinative part of the living beings as a headshot photograph represents the identity of a person, according to the “cüz’iyyet metonymy” art. Turning face to sky means “praying and being in expectation”. With sema in this expression, the point beyond universe/creatures [the point of culmination] was intended.[37] It is because, by nature, a person looks at the sky not to the ground while thinking about Allah. Hence, a person who raises his/her hands to the sky while praying begs to Allah by turning his/her face to the sky when there is inconvenience. In the customs, an expression of “fallen from sky” is used in extraordinary events; even the religions and scriptures from Allah are called “heavenly religions, heavenly scriptures”. Therefore, our Prophet’s turning his face up to the sky means his prayer by inclining to Allah with all his self and existence.

Concerning the ayah at hand, a few examples from the classical understandings are as follows:

You will be pleased means “you like the…” es-Süddi says: “When the Prophet practiced prayer toward Bayt al-Maqdis, he used to raise his head toward the sky to see what would be ordered to him. He liked and was desirous of practicing prayer toward the Kaaba. Upon this, Exalted Allah sent down his order of “We see you turn your face toward the sky”. Abu ishak asserts al-Bera says as follows: “Prophet (Peace be upon him) practiced prayer toward Beyt-i Makdis for the period of sixteen or seventeen months. Prophet (Peace be upon him) was wishing that his qibla would be turned toward the Kaaba. Upon this, Exalted Allah sent down his order of “We see you turn your face toward the sky”.[38]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not like turning to Beyt-i Makdis and was wishing to turn to the Kaaba. But he could not tell this with his tongue; hence, he was turning his face to the sky. Ibn Abbas alleged that the Prophet said the following:

– O, Gabriel! I wish Allah turn me from the Jews’ qibla to another one because I no longer like to turn there.

Upon this, Gabriel said the following:

– I am a servant like you; ask this to your Rabb!

Later on, the Prophet was looking toward the sky at all times hoping that Gabriel would bring what he wished. Thus, Allah sent down this ayah.[39]

Ibn Merdûyeh Kasım narrates the hadith that al-Omari quotes from Ibn Abbas and says: “The Prophet (Peace be upon him), after his prayer toward Jerusalem, greeted and raised his head toward the sky. At that moment, the ayah of Turn your face to Masjid Al-Haram was sent by Allah. Gabriel (a.s) guided him and turned his head to the gutter side of the Kaaba. In the hadith specified in Hakim’s Müstedrek quoted by Şu‘be through YAl-A‘lâ ibn Ata, Yahya ibn Kumta says: “I saw Abdullah ibn Amr sitting at the Masjid Al-Haram by the gutter and he recited the ayah of We will turn you now to a qibla that you will like. And then he said that this was the Kaaba”. Hakim says: “This hadith’s attribution is precise. However, Bukhari and Muslim did not confirm him with hadith reference. He narrates this hadith from Huşeym and YAl-A‘lâ ibn Ata through Ibn Abu Hatim Hasan”. Others told the same too. Hence, one of the two views of late Şafii. The intention accordingly is to aim Qibla’s itself. According to Şafii’s other view–which is shared by the majority– the intention is “inclination”. Hakim states through Muhammed ibn Ishak from Ali (r.a): in terms of the ayah of Turn your face to the Masjid Al-Haram side, he said “to that direction”. Then, “This hadith’s attribution is precise, but Bukhari and Muslim did not confirm with hadith reference”. This opinion is the opinion of Ebu’l-Aliye, Mujahid, Ikrime, Sa‘id ibn Jubair, Katade, Rebi ibn Enes, and others. As shown by another hadith, qibla is the point between the east and the west. Abu Nu‘aym says: “Züheyr reported to us from Berra that: Prophet (Peace be upon him) adopted Jerusalem as qibla for sixteen or seventeen months. Nevertheless, he internally wanted the Kaaba to be the qibla. He practiced the mid-afternoon prayer. There was a community with him. One of the persons performing prayer with him came out and encountered a person of masjid who was in bowing. The man said “I witness by the name of Allah that I performed prayer with the Prophet (Peace be upon him) toward the direction of Mecca”. Upon this, they turned toward Mecca. Abdurezzak says: “Al-Israil quoted from Berra to us: when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came to Medina, he performed prayer for sixteen or seventeen months. However, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) wished to be turned to the Kaaba. Finally, the ayah of Truly, We see you turn your face toward the sky… and then he was turned to the Kaaba. Nesei quotes from Sa‘id ibn al-Mualla as follows: “In the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), we were going to the masjid early and practicing our prayer. One day, we dropped by the masjid. Prophet (Peace be upon him) was sitting at the mimbar. I said: “There must be something new happened that the Prophet is sitting at the mimbar”. At that time, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) recited the ayah of Truly, We see you turn your face toward the sky…. When he completed the ayah, I told to my friend, “Before the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gets down from the mimbar, let’s practice two-rakah prayer and be the first ones who practice this prayer”. We stood one after another and practiced two-rakah prayer. Then, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was down from the mimbar and made people practice the prayer. It was a noon prayer practiced on that day. Ibn Merdûyeh Abdullah quotes from ibn Omar: the first prayer practiced by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) turning toward the Kaaba is the noon prayer and it is mid prayer. However, the popular idea is that the first prayer led by the Prophet turning to the Kaaba is the mid-afternoon prayer. Therefore, the news was reached to the people of Kuba in delay, only in the time of morning prayer.[40]

However, in the ayah that is our subject matter, as well as in other ayat specified in this passage, it is seen that the words of salah or prayer with lowering continuously are not present but unfortunately, some people, has replaced the “Turn of a face toward to the direction of Masjid Al-Haram, to the qibla in a satisfactory manner” with “Muslim’s turning toward the direction of the Masjid Al-Haram while performing prayer” in minds. In our opinion, such behavior is infidelity, beyond carelessness and attempt of falsification and deterioration of religion.

Surah Al-Baqara 145:

145And surely, even if you bring those who have been given the Book all the Ayat, they would not follow your goal/strategy. And you are not the one who follows their goal/strategy either. Then, they are not obliged to follow each other’s goal/strategy. And indeed, if you follow their vain, transitory desires despite all this knowledge having come to you, then you will definitely be among those who treat their very selves unjustly.

In this ayah, the expression Those who have been given the Book surely know that this duty is the truth coming from their Rabb. And Allah is not unaware, uninformed of what they do in the previous ayah is being detailed and information about the Jews are given that the Prophet would address. Later on, the importance of the strategy to be followed by the Prophet is explained and non-compromising of this strategy is warned harshly.

As it is seen, in the ayah, it was specified that they have their qiblas [targets, strategies] according to themselves that they will not obey despite his demonstration of many evidences and that they will not comply with the Prophet’s qibla.

As it is known, the qibla of the Jews is “golden heifer-calf, that is to say, gold.’ The qibla of the believers is education and justice. In order to realize this, it is necessary to establish salah, give zaqah/tax, conduct of inviting all to good, instruct good deeds that are accepted by all, preclude evil via revelation and common sense, conduct jihad [strive] and battle if necessary. In such case, neither the Jews whose qibla is “gold” nor the nonbelievers can adopt a strategy like giving lives and properties.

Even though it seems that Prophet was addressed with the expression of “you” here, actual addressee is the believers. With the expression of And indeed, if you follow their vain, transitory desires despite all this knowledge having come to you, then you will definitely be among those who treat their very selves unjustly in the ayah, it is ordered that no roadmap other than the Qur’an is to be adapted.

Surah Al-Jathiyah 23:

23Have you ever thought/seen the one who has taken his own vain, transitory desire as his deity and whom Allah led astray upon a knowledge, sealed his ear and heart and set a curtain upon his eye? Who will guide him to the righteous path after Allah? Will you still not remember and reason?

Surah Al-Qiyamat 5:

5Actually, man desires to spend what is before him; the rest of his life stuck in evil by disbelieving in the religion-faith: 6He asks: “When is the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection]?”

Classical sources have provided the following regarding this ayat:

Rumor has it that the Medina Jews and the Najran Christians said to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), “Bring us a miracle as the prophets before you did!” Upon this, Allah sent down this ayah. The fact that is the closest to the truth is that this ayah has not been conferred about a newly beginning event; on the contrary, it is one of the remaining judgments regarding the change of the qibla.[41]

Surah Al-Baqara 146-147:

–146And those whom We have given the Book know the Prophet as they know their own sons. Surely, some of them definitely conceal the truth even though they know.-

147The truth is from your Rabb. Then, never be among those who doubt!

In this ayah, the principle that every humanly thing can be approached with doubt and one must not hesitate when it comes to the things coming from Allah because from Allah, emanates only Truth.

In addition, in these ayat, attention to the Jews’ narcissism and arrogance is invited; it reveals that, despite they know the Prophet is a true prophet just like they know their own sons and what he does is truth, a group from among them concealed this truth. Reason for such behavior of them is given in other surat:

Surah An-Naml 14:

14And while their selves were completely convinced with these, they consciously denied them for they did wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah and because of their arrogance. – Look how was the end of the corrupters! –

Surah Al-Baqara 89:

89And when a book; the Qur’an which comes from Allah to confirm what is with them –then, they intended to prevail over the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb and that which they recognized came to them- they concealed it themselves. Then, curse of Allah/deprival of His mercy is upon those who conceal the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

Classical sources provided the following events in terms of this ayat:

According to the rumor, Omar told the following to Abdullah b. Selam: “Do you really know Mohammad (Peace be upon him) as you know your own son? He gave the following answer: Yes, even beyond that. Allah sent down His custodian in His heaven to His custodian on earth by specifying his qualifications and I knew him with these qualifications. As for my son, I don’t know about what his mother did”.[42]

As told about Omar (r.a), he asked about the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to Abdullah ibn Selam (r.a). Abdullah ibn Selam told the following in response: “I know him better than my son”. When Omar said, “Why?” He said, “Because I don’t question that Mohammad is a prophet but I can question my child because his mother might have committed treason”. Then, Omar kissed his head.[43]

Surah Al-Baqara 148-151:

148And there is a direction for everyone; so they turn to that direction. Therefore, always haste for good/bring the good forward. Allah will gather you together wherever you are. Indeed, Allah is the One Who is the most competent over everything.

150,151And wherever you are, turn your face towards Masjid al-Haram/the untouchable educational institution immediately. And you, wherever you are, turn your faces towards it as I have sent you a messenger from among you so he may recite the Ayat to you, purify you, teach you the book and the laws, rules and principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos and teach you that which you do not know, so there will be no proof against you –except for those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah-, and so I may complete My favor upon you and so you may follow the righteous path. Then, do not fear them in awe with respect, love, knowledge, fear Me in awe with respect, love, knowledge.

In this group of ayat, after explaining that there are ideal targets and social and political strategies adopted by every people and that everyone steers towards his/her own target, the instruction of haste for good/bring the good forward then And from wherever you are, turn your face towards the Masjid al-Haram/the untouchable educational institution is repeated and order is given to adopt the “direction of Masjid Al-Haram” as qibla.

The word viche in the original of the ayah means “the direction toward which the face turns” which is the synonym of the word “qibla”. The direction here is the sociological -political direction; that is to say, target, ideal and strategy.

The most important point to invite attentions in this paragraph is the justification of making the “direction of Masjid Al-Haram” into “qibla” [target, social political strategy]. The justifications specified in the above ayat are as follows:

1) There will be no proof against you –except for those who do wrong, act against their own good–; that is to say, your state of being most powerful than everyone and no one can oppress you.

2) As I send upon you a messenger from among you so he may recite the Ayat to you to purify you, teach you the book and the laws, rules and principles set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos and teach you that which you do not know and so I may complete My favor upon you; that is to say, making use of the book and wisdom and get rid of lack of knowledge thanks to the expansion of the religion of Allah.

3) So you may follow the righteous path; that is to say, you can reach the salvation.

So Allah shows these issues as justification for adopting the direction of Masjid Al-Haram as a qibla/target. Upon a bit of contemplation; it is a reality that every honest person will accept that with the turn of a face in the prayer physically toward the Masjid Al-Haram, these truths will not be accrued; that is to say, by doing so, what Allah wants from us will not be provided.

Then, what must be understood from the expression of “towards Masjid Al-Haram”? Answer to this question is given in the Qur’an as follows:

Surah Ali-Imran 96-97:

96,97Indeed, the first house that was built as a blessing for the mankind and a guide for all universes is the one that is in Mecca. There are explicit evidences/signs; the place where Abraham performed duty [where he was educated, trained and rose up against association others with Allah] in it. And whoever enters there will be safe. And visiting the Bayt [House]/theological education center, going there for theological education is a right of Allah upon the people who are able. And whoever conceals the truth, let him know that Allah is certainly free of need of all universes.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 97:

97Allah has made Kaaba; the Bayt al-Haram, the haram/forbidden month, offering beasts as food for those who fulfill hajj [pilgrimage] and marks attached to the animals that are sent so those who fulfill hajj [pilgrimage] may eat, a standing; shaking, salvation of themselves for the people. This is so you may know as well that Allah knows all that is in the heavens/universe and on the earth and Allah is the One Who knows everything in truth.

When what is highlighted in the above ayat is taken into account, following can be determined regarding the properties of “Masjid Al-Haram”:

Masjid Al-Haram or Beytullah or Kaaba (they all mean the same thing) is a house [school] prepared for humans (not for only one person) on earth.

There, the place of the Prophet Abraham [where he stood up and rebelled and fought against the tyrants] is present.

There, everyone must be safe, untouchable and free, there must not be oppression and cruelty.

There, the laws, rules and principles set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos must be put into practice and everyone must learn what he does not know.

That place must be kept clean for those people visiting there and walking around, worshippers, teachers and students.

Muslims must adopt a musalla [the place where salah is fulfilled] from the place of Abraham.

Those people who find the opportunity to visit must visit there.

When the properties of the “Masjid Al-Haram” specified in the Qur’an are determined as stated above, it is seen that what is pointed out is not about the physical structure of the Masjid Al-Haram, Beytullah or Kaaba, but their functions and making of the Kaaba by the Prophet Abraham is his inauguration and operation of the school of education. Accordingly, what must be understood from the expression of “towards Masjid Al-Haram” and what must be done to turn “towards Masjid Al-Haram” appear automatically:

Autonomous divinity schools [“All Natural Sciences are naturally divinity schools] must be opened and the teachers who teach the divinity and education in these schools [those who perform ruku] and students [those people who are convinced to receive a divinity education] must be superintended.

Social support institutions must be established for the establishment of salah.

Required military power and organization must be established to be superior to the enemies. Good educators and military officers must be trained in this field.

Therefore, the qibla/strategy specified in the Qur’an and ordered by Allah is this. It is not turning of their direction by people toward Mecca physically while performing prayer.

With this strategy, the Prophet will teach the society Allah’s principles that prevent cruelty and ensure justice and earn the title of governor in the society. After these ayat, the period of Medina, our Prophet became actually “President” [he carried out the task of being a messenger and governorship, including commandership].

Following ayat are for such duty of him:

Surah Ali-Imran 31:

31Say: “If you love Allah then follow me so Allah may love you and forgive your sins for you. And Allah is the One Who removes the sins of His servants, does not punish them and has much forgiveness, the One Who is the possessor of vast mercy”.

Surah An-Nisa 80:

80Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah. And whoever turns away, We have not sent you as a protector/guardian for those who turn away.

Surah Al-Hashr 7-8:

7,8And the Fai [revenues yielded without fighting and making any effort] Allah has given to His Messenger from the people of that city belong to Allah, the Messenger, those poor who have immigrated – and they have been expelled out of their lands and deprived of their wealth while seeking for the bounty and acceptance of Allah, and they help Allah and His Messenger. They are the ones who are the righteous-, orphans, the needy and travelers so the luxury brought by the power; the authority will not only be for the rich among you. Whatever the Messenger has given you, take it immediately. And whatever he has forbidden you, turn away from it. And enter under the guardianship of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Whose punishment/penalty is very severe.

Surah An-Nisa 59:

59O you who have believed! Obey Allah, obey the Messenger and those in authority/main governor from among you. Then, if you disagree over anything, rely on Allah and His Messenger for it, if you should be the ones who believe in Allah and Akhirat [Afterlife]. This is better and more appropriate in finding the best solution.

As a result, we say: Qibla is not the element of prayer as practiced but the social and political target of the Muslims in life.

[4] Rabb means “The One Who disciplines and educates, One Who guides his creations to a certain target/targets within the frame of a schedule, one who programs and manages the development”. This word, in absolute terms, is used for Allah alone. As to humans, it is used in such forms as “the rabb of the house”, “the rabb of the workplace”, etc. The English term closest to this term in the context of meaning is “boss”. While having a meaning close to rabb, this word does not cover the meaning of rabb entirely as it is used only in the commercial context. For this reason, since we did not have the possibility to explain the term rabb with multiple words, we had to leave it in its original Arabic form. Therefore, our readers should keep the above mentioned definition in their minds.

[5] Allah does not have a gender. However, in the language of English, 3rd singular personal pronoun is used differently for male and female. It is the male personal pronoun which is used in the official writings such as law, circular notice and regulations. Because of this character of the language of English, the pronoun of “He” has been used for “Allah”.

]]>http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?feed=rss2&p=6220ZAQAHhttp://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=472
http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=472#respondFri, 26 Dec 2014 19:47:57 +0000http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=472“ ز ك و zkv ”, the root of “ الزكوة Zaqah’’ which is one of the fundamental elements of the religion of Islam, means “reproduction and The thing that is reproduced and multiplied given by Allah from the species ... Read More »

]]>“ ز ك و zkv ”, the root of “ الزكوة Zaqah’’ which is one of the fundamental elements of the religion of Islam, means “reproduction and The thing that is reproduced and multiplied given by Allah from the species of fruit and cereals is called “ زكاء zeqa ”. One of the derivatives of this root, the word of “ الزكوة Zaqah ” means “ صلاح Salah; the best, cleanest and the most correct form of a thing”. “Zaqah of a property” is “Cleaning of the property and rendering it pure, clean-limpid.” (Dictionaries of LISAN AL-ARAB and TAJ AL-ARUS)

“ التزكية tazqiya”, one of the infinitives of the word, means “Cleaning, improving, creation of abundance, growing and purify”. As a Qur’an concept, “tazqiya” means the purification of the soul, cleaning it from polytheism, sin, nifaq [hypocrisy], rics [dirt], ignorance, bad feelings and similar things and teaching it obedience and taqwa [surrendering under guardianship of Allah]. We see this meaning in the following ayat:

Surah Al-A‘la 14–17:

14-17The one who purifies himself, who fulfills Salah; supports others financially and spiritually; strives to enlighten the community mentioning the name of his Rabb[1] will definitely save himself. But you prefer that simple worldly life. Yet, Akhirat [Afterlife] is better and ever lasting.

Surah Al-Layl 14–21:

14-16That is why, I have warned you of a fire which is blazing in which no one except those who deny, who turn away, those who are the most unhappy will enter.

17-21The one who gives his wealth to purify himself without expecting a recompense in return, only seeking the countenance of his Sublime Rabb, who has entered under the guardianship of Allah will be kept away from it. And that one will definitely be satisfied soon.

Surah Ash-Shams 1–10:

1-10The Qur’an and the social enlightment that it spreads, the Messenger and believers who follow the Qur’an, those peoples who are enlightened with the light of the Qur’an, those peoples who are deprived of the light of the Qur’an, scholars and the knowledge that exalts the scholars, those who are utterly ignorant and the principles and mentalities that make them like this, those who have found their selves and the factors which make find the self – then Allah inspired man instincts of transgressing and protecting himself/committing sin and abilities of being under the guardianship of Allah; He coded to his genes – is the evidence that, he who purifies his self has truly been saved. And he who consciously denies it, has definitely lost.

Purification of the soul by a person is a state that is only possible by having faith and doing good deeds. What dirties a person is the disbelief and associating others with Allah because the fact that associating others with Allah is impurity and those who associate others with Allah are impure is stated in the Qur’an (Surah At-Tawbah 28). In a person with belief, “taqwa” [entering under the guardianship of Allah] which is the reflection of belief will emerge and there will be a complete pure and clean soul. In a person without belief, “fujur” which is the reflection of faithlessness will emerge and there will be a soul that accommodates all kinds of social dirt.

Surah An-Najm 31, 32:

31,32Whatever is in heavens/universe and whatever is on the earth belongs to Allah so that He[2] may recompense those who do evil with what they have done, He may reward those who do good; – except for some minor glitches – those who avoid of the major sins and immoralities with “the best”. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Whose forgiveness is vast. He is the One Who knows you best when He formed you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the womb of your mothers. Then, do not claim yourselves to be pure. He knows better who has entered under the guardianship of Allah.

The word of “ الزكوة Zaqah” is derived from this root as well (“ ز ك وzkv ”). As we specified above, zaqah means, “ صلاحsalah; the best, cleanest and the most correct form of a thing”. The terminological meaning of “Zaqah” is “The tax given by the believers as a debt of belief as a debt of being a servant in the state of the believers for the existence, continuity of the state and establishment of Salah [ensuring financial and spiritual support and safety]”

As zaqah ensures the spiritual purity of the believers by making it possible for them to perform their worships in an independent state freely, thus rendering them perfect, purifies them from the passion of commodities, properties and children while performing this practise, and causes abundance in properties by purifying people from the dirt of sins and stinginess, this tax worship is called “zaqah”. (Let us once again remember the ”tazqiya” ayat we presented above.)

Believers have the task of protecting themselves, their acquaintances, all humans, all animals and nature from incitement, sedition, cruelty and corruption. These tasks assigned by Allah depend only on the fact that they are to have a state belonging to them and a land with clear border. Hence, Allah ordered that the believers must certainly have an independent state, defend that state, and wage a war with those people who wish to drive them out of their land.

As in every state, a material support, a tax, is needed for the state established by the believers to carry out the education, training, health, domestic and foreign security, infrastructure and religious services to guarantee future, and to protect the religion and the independent land.

Even though contemporary tax and the Zaqah tax in Islam are in accord with each other in form at some points, basically [in terms of the purpose and reason of receiving (benefit or power theory), areas of spending, section of the society from which it is received, values received and time for receiving)] they are different.

It is impossible for the believers who do not have free and independent land to live the principles of Islam and to continue their existence.

Zaqah is given only by believers. If foreign support comes for the believers to maintain the existence and continuity of the state, that state is destined to corruption. Zaqah is not requested by the state and received by means of using force. Believers give their shares willingly. Hence, zaqah takes place in the Qur’an always with the verb of “give” (“Give!” or “They give”). Taking of zaqah is by no means mentioned.

GIVING -“ الإيتاءْ iyta ”

Main root with three letters of the word of “ ايتاء Iyta” that is translated into English as “to give” is “ اe ت t ىy”. Actual meaning of “ اe ت t ى y ” is “Coming of water to somewhere as a result of someone’s opening of a furrow” (LISAN-UL ARAB) In Arabic, “coming” is expressed with the word of “ جاء cae”, in addition to the word of “ اتى eta”. Actual meaning of “ جاء Cae” is “Coming of water or rain into a pit by itself”. (LISAN-UL ARAB). This means that the two words are not exactly synonym and there is a difference between them. While “ اتى eta ” means “it came as someone acted as an intermediary”, “ جاء cae” means “it came by itself”.

The conjugations “ اْتى e’ta, يوئتى yü’tiy, ايتاء iyta ” of the verb of “ اتىEta ” from “ إفعالIf’al” bab is generally translated and accepted as “Gave, gives and to give”. When the first meaning of the word is taken into account, the actual meaning must be “Gave, gives and to give by opening a path, overcoming obstacles and bringing-taking”.

With this technical information in mind, we must understand and translate all the “ آتوا الزكوة atuzzaqah, يئتوالزكوة Yu’tunezzaqah ” expressions mentioned in the Qur’an’ as “Give zaqah by brining / taking, they give zaqah by bringing / taking”.

Believers maintain the establishment, maintaining and continuity of a state that is compliant with the principles of the religion of Islam, on the forefront rather than their own existence and lives. Failure or unwillingness by some people of giving zaqah in the state of the believers is the absolute sign that they are not believers.

Protection of all spiritual values and universal rights of the believers depends on their living in their lands safely. This rule applies to all the nations. Nations protect their existences from the outside attacks within the boundaries of their motherland and domestically, they ensure the safety of properties, lives, chastity and live with the freedom of religion and conscience.

In the Qur’an, the word of zaqah is used with its lexical meaning in two places (Surah Al-Kahf 81 and Surah Mary 13) and with terminological meaning in thirty ayat, being eleven times in the surah sent down during the Meccan period, and nineteen times in the Medinan surah.

The zaqah tax takes place in twenty nine places together with establishment of Salah [ensuring financial and spiritual support and safety]. This situation shows that it is a condition for zaqah for the believers that it is a must to have an independent state belonging to them and religion cannot be lived without the zaqah task.

Zaqah was, as stated in Surah Al-Baqara 43, Surah Al-A‘raf 156, Surah Hud 87, Surah Mary 31, 55 and Surah Al-Anbiya73, a binding duty for the organized believer communities before us. They were also liable for zaqah. As specified in the ayat, there were those who fulfilled this duty and those who opposed to it and did not carry out the duty. Those who failed to do this duty perished.

The zaqah expressions specified in the Meccan Ayat (Surah Ar-Rum 38, 39; Surah An-Naml 1-3; Surah Luqman 4; Surah Al-Mu’minun 4; Surah A’raf 156-157; Surah Fussilat 6-7) are not in imperative but in indicative. That is to say, it is not in the form of “Give zaqah!” but “They give zaqah, they don’t give it, they did not give it”. With these ayat, the fact that believers are to establish an independent state of believers in the future was underlined and the believers were encouraged and prepared for this.

Zaqah is one of Allah’s significant orders and one of the servants’ significant worships. Financial worships, like zaqah/tax, sadaqa/public revenue and infaq/aid were accepted by our Rabb as lending to Himself, He proclaimed them as the fee of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and those people who give zaqah/tax and infaq/aid as His helpers and acquaintances and additionally qualified them with the qualifications of the people who deserve Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], such as Muttaqi, Abrar, Musin, and Musalli.

Following Ayat are the ayat that must be in the minds of the believers at all times:

Surah Al-Hajj 39–41:

39-41Those whom are waged war have been allowed to fight since they have been treated unjustly; driven out from their lands without right only because they have said “Our Rabb is Allah!”.

And surely, Allah is the One Who is the most competent to lead them to victory. If Allah had not eliminated and prevented some of the people with other people, all sprouts, buds, fruits on the trees, harvested grains, legumes, thorns in barren lands, all built structures, bazaars and malls; markets, all Salah; support institutions (workplaces; employment and procurement institutions, educational and training facilities and security centers) and all the masjids [school] within which the name of Allah is mentioned frequently would have definitely been demolished.

Allah will definitely help those who help Him -who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, instruct that which is acceptable for all and who forbid with Wahy [Revelation] and common sense that which is considered evil, if We make them have authority and home-. Indeed, Allah is very powerful, almighty. And only to Him belongs the consequence of all matters.

Surah Muhammad 7–9:

7O you who have believed! Should you help Allah, He will help you and set your feet firm. 8As for those who deny, destruction will be upon them and Allah will waste their work. 9This is definitely because they disliked what Allah revealed. And Allah has made their deeds worthless.

Surah Al-Anfal 60:

60And collect any kind of force as you can against them and prepare war horses so you may terrify those who are enemy to Allah, your enemies and lower ones than those whom Allah knows but you do not. And whatever you spend for the cause of Allah will be paid to you fully and you will not be treated unjustly.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 12, 13:

12And surely, Allah took the solemn covenant of Israelites. And We sent from among them twelve supervisors/leaders. And Allah said: “I am surely with you. If you establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax, believe in My messengers, support them and loan Allah a good loan, I will definitely remove your evil deeds and admit you into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow. And whoever among you disbelieves; consciously denies the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb after this, he has certainly gone astray from the righteous path”.

13Then, We cursed them for they had broken their covenants and made their hearts hard. They distort the words from their proper/literal meanings. And they have abandoned a significant portion of what they have been advised. You always see a treachery from them, except for a few among them. But, you, pardon them and do not mind. Indeed, Allah likes those who produce good.

Surah Al-Hadid 11:

11Who is the one who will loan Allah a good loan so He may multiply for him many times! And a noble reward will be for him as well.

177It is not “being righteous” to turn your faces to east and west. But, “the righteous people” are the ones who believe in Allah, the day of Akhirat [Afterlife]/the Last Day, angels, the Book, prophets; who give their wealth to relatives, orphans, needy, travelers and paupers and the ones who do not have freedom even though they love wealth and who give their wealth by loving Allah and who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax. And they are the ones who fulfill their promise when they promise and who have patience in the times of hardship, illness and war. They are the ones who are true. And they are the ones who have entered under the guardianship of Allah.

Surah Al-Anfal 2-4:

2-4Surely, the believers are those whose hearts fear in awe when Allah is mentioned,

who get stronger in faith when His Ayat are recited to them and who rely only upon their Rabb,

who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]

and who spend from that which We have given them as provision for the cause of Allah. Indeed, these are the ones who truly believe. For them are degrees, forgiveness and a noble provision with their Rabb.

Surah Al-Mu’minun 1–4:

1Indeed, the believers have maintained their status/succeeded.

2They are the ones who are sincere in their Salah [supporting financially and spiritually; striving to enlighten the community].

3And they are the ones who turn away from that which is vain.

4And they are the ones who fulfill zaqah/give tax.

Surah Al-Mu’minun 57-61:

57-61Surely, those who shake, fearing to be away from their Rabb for the deep admiration and respect to Him, those who believe in the Ayat of their Rabb, those who do not associate others with their Rabb, those who give what they give while their hearts are in awe for they will return to their Rabb; they are the ones who hasten in good deeds and who go ahead for good deeds.

Surah An-Nur 36-38:

36-38There are such men in the houses in which Allah lets Himself to be raised and His name to be mentioned, who continuously purify Allah, commerce and business do not distract them from remembering Allah, establishing Salah [establishing and maintaining the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and giving zaqah/tax. They fear a day in which hearts and eyes will overturn so Allah may recompense them with the best of what they did and increase from His bounties for them. And Allah provides for whom He wills without account.

Surah Luqman 2–5:

2-5These are the Ayat of that book which contains laws as a guidance to the righteous path and mercy upon those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, and those who certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife], who do good deeds –they are upon a righteous path from their Rabb. And they are the ones who will reach the salvation-.

Surah As-Saff 10–14:

10-13O you who have believed! Will I show you a beneficial business that will save you from a painful punishment? You will believe in Allah and His messenger; strive in the path of Allah with your wealth and lives. This is better for you, if you should know: He will forgive your sins and admit you into the gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise], underneath of which rivers flow, and into the pleasant dwellings in the gardens of Eden. This is the great salvation. And another thing you will like: Help from Allah and an imminent conquest… And give the believers the good tidings.

14O you who have believed! Be helpers of Allah; as when once Jesus, son of Mary, said to apostles: “Who are my helpers for Allah?”. And apostles said to him: “We are helpers of Allah”. Then, a group of people believed in Israelites and another group did not. Then, We strengthened those who believed against their enemies so they prevailed.

Surah At-Tawbah 111–112:

111,112Surely, Allah has purchased from those believers who repent, worship, praise, travel, acknowledge the oneness of Allah, submit, command the good that is accepted by all, forbid the evil deeds, preserve the limits of Allah their lives and wealth for that they will have Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]. They battle in the cause of Allah; then they kill and are killed. This is the true promise of Allah that is in the Torah, the Bible and the Qur’an. And who is the one who is more faithful to his promise more than Allah? Then, rejoice over the business you did. And this is what the great salvation is. And give to the believers the good tidings!

Financial worships like zaqah/tax, sadaqa/public revenue and infaq/aid are at the same time the repayment to Allah in terms of the values owned. Our Rabb brought the good tidings that while performing these worships, our Rabb will not reduce but increase owned value.

Surah Saba 39:

39Say: “Surely, my Rabb extends His provision for whomever He wills of His servants and manages for him. And whatever you spend for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance, He will immediately compensate it. And He is the best of providers”.

Surah Ibrahim 6, 7:

6,7And when Moses said to his people: “Remember the favor of Allah upon you; when He saved you from the family of Pharaoh who afflicted you with the evil of torment, strangled your sons; made you weak, unqualified by leaving you uneducated and covered your women with disgrace. There was a great trial of wearing from your Rabb for you in this. And when your Rabb declared: “Indeed, if you repay for the blessings you are given, I will definitely increase for you and if are ungrateful, My punishment is absolutely very severe”.

Surah Ar-Rum 39:

39And whatever you give of riba [revenues which are obtained without effort, service and risk] to increase in the wealth of the people, will not increase with Allah. But what you give of your zaqat/taxes desiring the countenance of Allah…It is those who are the multipliers.

In addition, as in Surah At-Tawbah 5th and 11th ayat, giving zaqah is shown as the indicator of being believer; failure to do financial spending is shown in the passage Surah At-Tawbah 73-79 as the sign of irtidad (apostatize).

Surah Al-Baqara 110:

110And you, establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax! Whatever good you do for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

Surah An-Nur 56:

56And establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community] and give zaqah/tax and obey the Messenger so you may receive mercy.

The Qur’an says one of their traits is the failure to give zaqah while dispraising the ones who associate other with Allah.

Surah Fussilat 6–7:

6,7Say: “I am only a human like you. I am revealed that ‘Your god is the One and the Only God’. Therefore, take a straight path to Him and ask Him for forgiveness”. O woe to those who do not give zaqah/tax and those associate others with Allah who consciously deny/disbelieve in Akhirat [Afterlife]!

A person who fails to give zaqah cannot be entitled to Allah’s vast mercy and the friendship of Allah and His messenger because Allah orders as follows:

Surah Al-A‘raf 156:

156,157Allah says: “I have My punishment; I will touch with it whom I will, and I have My Mercy; that encompasses everything. I will decree it especially to those who enter under guardianship of Allah, those who give zaqah; tax and who believe in Our Ayat; and those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who is from the Mother City/Mecca who orders them the good, forbids them from evil, allows them that which is clean and pleasant and prohibits for them that which is filthy and evil, relieves them of their burden, ties and chains which were upon them; whom they can find written in the Torah and in the Bible which are with them. Therefore, those who believe in him, show him a strong respect, support him and follow the light sent down with him will be the ones who will succeed”.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 55:

55Your familiars who are helpers, guides, protectors are only Allah and His Messenger, and the ones who have believed, who acknowledge the oneness of Allah and establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], give zaqah/tax.

Believers must certainly make an balanced budget for their state they have established to fulfill its function in a healthy manner and to keep it standing. The state of the believers ascertains the zaqah accordingly and collects it. The budget can by no means yield deficits. It is because, due to budgetary deficit, either the businesses are interrupted or it becomes obligatory to be indebted. Domestic and foreign borrowing endangers the independence and continuation of the country.

Who gives zaqah?

In the Islamic law books, it is seen that there is the condition of obtaining a particular scale of wealth. This particular scale of wealth is accepted “to own two hundred dirham=640 gram silver or approximately one hundred gram gold or forty sheep or thirty cattle or five camels, and approximately one ton of value from soil products; after a domicile, household furniture required for home, two garments for winter and summer, necessary gun, paraphernalia required for working ambiance, book, animal to ride on, servant costs, slave or servant, fee for an annual catering, financial means that will fulfill the debts (mandatory needs/Havaic al-asliyah)”.

The nisap/scale of wealth for zaqah is not a principle determined in the Qur’an by Allah. Allah did not stipulate such a condition. Zaqah is among the mandatory needs. No nisap/scale of wealth is sought for giving zaqah. Nisap/scale of wealth is taken into account in the extra and arbitrary state releases such as sadaqa/public revenue, infaq/aid, expropriation and sequestration. Each believer is obliged to participate in it for the continuity of the state of which he/she is a subject as much as his/her possibilities. A person can be hungry but cannot be homeless. For believers, an independent state and motherland belonging to them has priority upon their residences, dressing and their cars. A believer can sell whatever he has if necessary and gives it as a zaqah/tax.

Above all, zaqah is a worship. Believers are to abnegate from their essential needs in order to keep the state they have established standing. In the societies where the principles of the Qur’an are carried out in a healthy manner, the believers carry out this duty readily and by heart. Here, the benefit and power theories that are the justification of tax are not taken into account.

While receiving and spending the zaqah/tax and sadaqa (all the public revenues), equity measures are considered. Principles of “Property belongs to Allah and believers are brothers and sisters” are considered. For the expansion of the wealth of believers; here, equal treatment is not taken into account.

Surah Al-Hashr 7, 8:

7,8And the Fai [revenues yielded without fighting and making any effort] Allah has given to His Messenger from the people of that city belong to Allah, the Messenger, those poor who have immigrated – and they have been expelled out of their lands and deprived of their wealth while seeking for the bounty and acceptance of Allah, and they help Allah and His Messenger. They are the ones who are the righteous-, orphans, the needy and travelers so the luxury brought by the power; the authority will not only be for the rich among you. Whatever the Messenger has given you, take it immediately. And whatever he has forbidden you, turn away from it. And enter under the guardianship of Allah. Indeed, Allah is the One Whose punishment/penalty is very severe.

Measure of Zaqah

As we stated previously in terms of nisap/scale of wealth, in the first independent states of the believers, the measure for zaqah/tax was ascertained by Mohammad according to the agricultural economy conditions of the region. In every age, believers determine the amount of the zaqah/tax they will give through a council and with the measures with which balanced budget can be made. The “one in forty” measure in zaqah is not Islamic.

The state of the believers provides the budget with support by means of making investments and receiving profits as well as of receiving customs taxes from the non-Muslims in the state and foreign traders and receiving inheritance tax and receiving the surplus of the shares in inheritance.

Time of Zaqah

There is no fixed time for zaqah/tax in question. Believers give from their net assets at all times and from their production during the time of the harvest of crops.

Surah Al-An’am 141:

141Allah is the One Who builds gardens with and without trellises, dates, crops with many kinds of fruits, olives and pomegranates, similar to one another and dissimilar. Eat of its fruit when it yields, and give its due on the harvest day and do not be extravagant. Surely, Allah does not like those who commit extravagance.

In this ayah, in the expression of “give its due on the harvest day”, the word of “due” is a general expression and means “zaqah” in our opinion. However, as the believers were not organized when this ayah was sent down yet, it was not named as “zaqah/tax”. Hence, this “due/right” on the products was subsequently privatized and expressed as “zaqah/tax”.

As understood from the ayah, in the areas where the economy is dependent on agriculture, as in their period in which the Qur’an was sent down, the right for Allah is given in the period when “the fruits are picked being ripened”. Accordingly, in the nonagricultural revenues (commerce, service, industry), the day of payment of Allah’s right must be the time of acquiring the money; that is to say, “the day of earning”. Therefore, in such revenues, just like the tax withholding applied on salary payrolls, Allah’s right must be allocated instantly and given forthwith. Havl havelan (passing of one year after earning) is not an Islamic principle.

Hakkı YILMAZ

[1]Rabb means “The One Who disciplines and educates, One Who guides his creations to a certain target/targets within the frame of a schedule, one who programs and manages the development”. This word, in absolute terms, is used for Allah alone. As to humans, it is used in such forms as “the rabb of the house”, “the rabb of the workplace”, etc. The English term closest to this term in the context of meaning is “boss”. While having a meaning close to rabb, this word does not cover the meaning of rabb entirely as it is used only in the commercial context. For this reason, since we did not have the possibility to explain the term rabb with multiple words, we had to leave it in its original Arabic form. Therefore, our readers should keep the above mentioned definition in their minds.

[2] Allah does not have a gender. However, in the language of English, 3rd singular personal pronoun is used differently for male and female. It is the male personal pronoun which is used in the official writings such as law, circular notice and regulations. Because of this character of the language of English, the pronoun of ‘’He’’ has been used for ‘’Allah’’.

]]>http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?feed=rss2&p=4720INFAQ/AIDhttp://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=469
http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=469#respondFri, 26 Dec 2014 19:45:11 +0000http://presentationofislamandquran.com/?p=469INFAQ/AID The first meaning of “ن ف ق n f q”, which is the root of the word of “الإنفاق infaq” is the “death of a horse and other living beings”. The word has subsequently come to be used ... Read More »

The first meaning of “ن ف ق n f q”, which is the root of the word of “الإنفاق infaq” is the “death of a horse and other living beings”. The word has subsequently come to be used with the meanings of “Eradication, consumption”.

Meaning of the world of “إنفاق infaq”, is the “spending and consumption of assets, money and life”.[1]As a term, infaq means “Ensuring the subsistence of the poor and needy ones among people, specifically the kinsmen, by means of providing them with monetary or sustenance aids”.

One of the derivatives of this word, “نفقة nafaqa” is the name for the compulsory consumables that are consumed by means of eating, drinking and wearing. The monthly fee allocated through a court order to the persons for whom someone is obliged to provide subsistence is also referred as nafaqa.

The meaning of the “infaq” expressions of Allah in the Qur’an is both “Spending on the way of Allah” and “providing nafaqa; procurement of the consumables”.

In the ayat (verses) where the word “إنفاق infaq” is used, the meaning to be preferred is understood from the wording of the context in the passage of the ayah. In some of the ayat, both meanings must be taken into account.

Infaq is gratitude; that is to say, it is the repayment of the values granted by Allah as a grace. Our Rabb[2] stated that when this duty is performed, He will not decrease reduce but increase.

Surah Saba 39:

39Say: “Surely, my Rabb extends His provision for whomever He wills of His servants and manages for him. And whatever you spend for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance, He will immediately compensate it. And He is the best of providers”.

Surah Al-Baqara 261:

261Example of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others is like the example of the grain that yields seven spikes, and each spike with a hundred grains. Allah multiplies for whom He wills. And Allah is the One Whose knowledge and mercy is vast and limitless, the One Who knows very well.

Surah Al-Baqara 272:

272To guide them to the righteous path is not a liability upon you, but only Allah guides whom He wills to the righteous path. And that which you spend from good for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for your relatives and then others is only for yourself. And you spend only to seek countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good, it will be paid to you fully. And you will not be treated unjustly.

Surah Ar-Rum 39:

39And whatever you give of riba [revenues which are obtained without effort, service and risk] to increase in the wealth of the people, will not increase with Allah. But what you give of your zaqat/taxes desiring the countenance of Allah…It is those who are the multipliers.

Surah Ibrahim 6,7:

6,7And when Moses said to his people: “Remember the favor of Allah upon you; when He saved you from the family of Pharaoh who afflicted you with the evil of torment, strangled your sons; made you weak, unqualified by leaving you uneducated and covered your women with disgrace. There was a great trial for you from your Rabb that you would wear off in this. And when your Rabb declared: “Indeed, if you repay for the blessings you are given, I will definitely increase for you and if are ungrateful, My punishment is absolutely very severe”.

Infaq is a worship that is different from zaqah/tax or sadaqa/public revenue. Zaqah/tax and infaq/aid are mentioned in different sections in Surah Al-Baqara 177.

Surah Al-Baqara 177:

177It is not “being righteous” to turn your faces to east and west. But, “the righteous people” are the ones who believe in Allah, the day of Akhirat [Afterlife]/the Last Day, angels, the Book, prophets; who give their wealth to relatives, orphans, needy, travelers and paupers and the ones who do not have freedom even though they love wealth and who give their wealth by loving Allah and who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax. And they are the ones who fulfill their promise when they promise and who have patience in the times of hardship, illness and war. They are the ones who are true. And they are the ones who have entered under the guardianship of Allah.

Here, our Rabb mentions infaq, the financial aids to be given to the relatives, orphans and the fallen, along with zaqah/tax that sustain the state of the believers.

Why Infaq (Spending on the path of Allah)?

Allah did not create all humans with the same intelligence, reason, capability and power. Hence, there become differences among humans in financial grounds; some people can be rich while some remain poor.

Allah has assigned the persons who have made use of His own property excessively to provide infaq for the people who have remained without means and solutions.

Surah Az-Zukhruf 32:

32Are they the ones who distribute the mercy of your Rabb? It is We Who have distributed their livelihood among them in this simple worldly life. We have raised some of them above some of others in degrees so they may make use of one another for service. And the mercy of your Rabb is better than that which they accumulate.

Surah Rum 37, 38:

37Have they not seen that Allah extends provision for whomever He wills and manages it? Indeed, there are evidences/signs in this for a people who will believe.

38Then give the poor who were driven out from their lands, the needy and the travelers their right. This is better for those who desire the countenance of Allah. And they are the ones who maintain their status, succeed.

Allah has also informed about the existence of the rights of those who ask/needy and deprived people in the earnings of the believers.

Surah Al-Ma’arij 24, 25:

24,25And those who fulfill Salah are the ones within whose wealth is a known right for those poor who ask and are shy to ask.

Surah Adh-Dhariyat 15-19:

15-19 Surely, those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah will be in the gardens and the springs as the ones who received what their Rabb has given them. Surely, they were those who produced good before. They used to sleep a little in the night. They asked forgiveness during daybreak and there was a right in their wealth for those who asked and did not ask.

Surah Al-Insan 5–22:

5-22Indeed, “the righteous people” will drink from a bowl containing camphor, from a spring gushing out of which servants of Allah will drink who give away their food to the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of Allah/even though they love it, saying: “We feed you only for the countenance of Allah only and we do not expect from you a recompense and gratitude; and yes, we fear our Rabb on an austere and distressful day”.

And that is why, Allah will protect them from the evil of that day; He will give them light and happiness, He will give them Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and silk as a reward of their patience; they will abide there reclining on thrones; they will not see therein a sun nor freezing cold and the shadows of the garden will hang over them and their picking up will be descended. And a silver cup and crystal bowls will be circulated among them, -their crystals which they will measure is of silver-. And they will drink from a bowl mixture of which is of ginger, from a spring there called Salsabil… And walk among them will young boys of everlasting youth; when you see them you will think they are scattered pearls! When you see there, you will see happiness and a great dominion and governing; those who abide there will be wearing fine green silken and glossy satin garments; they will be adorned with silver bracelets; their Rabb will make them drink a pure drink. Surely, this is the recompense for you. And your efforts are worth recompensing.

If there is no infaq/aid, there will be a disaster.

Surah Al-Baqara 195:

195And spend your wealth for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance for your relatives first and then others, do not put yourselves in danger with your own hands and do good deeds. Indeed, Allah likes those who do good deeds.

The fact that the wealthy people delve into luxury and waste and multiplying (having a lot more than what is enough and necessary) and fail to direct their savings to employment and production and to think about the poor with the help of whom they may be gaining incomes, causes the unemployed and the poor feel jealousy and malice to them. As a result of this, social explosions, perturbations and mutinies take place in societies.

Infaq (directing the savings to employment and production) helps ensure the solidarity between people. It narrows down the distance between the rich and the poor, expands prosperity and love and fellowship among people. Hence, in addition to the religious and immaterial profundity of infaq/aid, its role in ensuring social justice in a society is unquestionable.

Our Rabb ordered in the beginning surat of the Qur’an; that is to say, in His initial messages, that infaq, savings to provide employment to the jobless and taqrin (honoring) of the orphans; to provide them with a better life.

Surah Al-Muddaththir 38–48:

38,39Every one who has found his self – except for the companions of the right – is a pledge for what he has earned.

40,41The companions of the right will be in the gardens. They will ask each other about the criminals: 42”What led you into the Saqar?” 43The criminals will say: “We were not of those who fulfill Salah [support financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community], 44and we did not give opportunities for those unemployed so they might earn their living. 45And our deeds were in vain together with those whose deeds were in vain. 46,47And we denied the Day of Religion until indisputable and inevitable death, the Qiyamat [Resurrection] came to us”. 48Now, help and intercession of intercessors, helpers will not benefit them.

Surah Al-Qalam 17–33:

17-24 Indeed, We will test them as We tested the companions of the farm: When they swore that they would definitely harvest the crops of the farm in the morning. And they made no exception. Then, there came a wind from your Rabb over the farm while they were asleep. And by the morning, the farm became as reaped/harvested. They called one another in the morning: “Go early in the morning if you should harvest!”. Then, they set out, they were whispering among themselves: Do not let any poor come among you!

25-29They went early with a prohibitive/aggressive attitude. But when they saw the farm, they said: “We have indeed lost/come to a wrong place; no, no, we have been deprived; Allah has punished us!” The best of them said: “Did I not tell you “Do you not purify Allah from deficiencies?”.13 They said: “Our Rabb, we purify You; truly, we were the ones who do wrong; act against their own good, treat themselves unjustly!”.

30-32Then they turned, reproaching each other: “Woe to us! We were indeed transgressors who see themselves like Pharaoh; we hope our Rabb will give us better than it; truly, we turn our all hope to our Rabb.”

33Such is the punishment in the world! Indeed, the punishment of Akhirat [Afterlife] is greater; if only they were among those who know!

Surah Haqqah 25–37:

25-29And as for the one who is given his book from his left; he will say: “I wish I had not been given my book, I had not known what my account is. If only that affair had been concluded. My wealth has not availed me at all. My power/authority has perished and gone from me.

30-37Seize him then tie him up. Then drive him into Jahannah [Hell]. Then admit him into Jahannah [Hell] within seventy cubits of chain! Indeed, he did not believe in Allah, the grand. And he did not encourage for the opportunities for those unemployed so they might earn their living. Therefore, there is no devoted friend for him here on this day. And there is no food but pus which no one will eat except the sinners.-

Surah Al-Fajr 17–20:

17-20Certainly not as you think! Indeed, you do not raise the orphan in an honorable way. You do not encourage one another to give opportunities for those unemployed, poor so they might earn their living. Yet, you consume heritage of the world, devouring it! And you love wealth with immense love, stockpiling it!

Surah Al-Ma’un 1–7:

1Have you seen/have you ever thought about the one who denies the fact that everyone will be recompensed for his deeds, good or evil, in Akhirat [Afterlife]/the one who denies the principles of Allah that regulate the social order? 2,3He is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage on giving opportunities for those poor so they might earn their living.

4-7Woe to those who are careless, apathetic to their Salah, who fulfill Salah [while they look like they support others financially and spiritually; strive to enlighten the community] for showing off, and forbid that even small kindnesses should reach to a needy!

Surah Luqman 2–5:

2-5These are the Ayat of that book which contains laws as a guidance to the righteous path and mercy upon those who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who give zaqah/tax, and those who certainly believe in Akhirat [Afterlife], who do good deeds –they are upon a righteous path from their Rabb. And they are the ones who will reach the salvation-.

It was warned that unless infaq/aid is made from the loved values, Birr/being “righteous person” (position of being a person who can enter heaven) cannot be reached.

Surah Ali-Imran 92:

92You can not attain the degree of “righteous person” unless you spend from that which you love for the cause of Allah. And whatever you spend, indeed Allah is the One Who knows it best.

In many ayah of the Qur’an, “infaq/aid on the path of Allah” was recommended and ordered and those people who spend on the way of Allah were praised:

Surah Al-Baqara 261–274:

261Example of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others is like the example of the grain that yields seven spikes, and each spike with a hundred grains. Allah multiplies for whom He wills. And Allah is the One Whose knowledge and mercy is vast and limitless, the One Who knows very well.

262The reward of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others and do not brag after what they give and do not hurt is with their Rabb. There is no fear upon them and they will not grieve.

263A word in a way that is acceptable for all and to forgive is better than a sadaqa/service fee to be taken followed by bragging and hurting. Allah is free of need, is the One Who forbears much.

264O you who have believed! Do not invalidate your sadaqas by bragging and hurting like the one who spends his wealth to show off even though he does not believe in Allah and the last day. His example is like the example of the boulder on which is a dust, then becomes bare when hit by downpour. They can not keep anything from what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the people of infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb.

265And the example of those who spend their wealth/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others for the appreciation of Allah and to assure themselves are like the example of a garden in the fertile lands, which receives plenty of rain and yields two fold produce. If not a rain in abundance falls in a garden like this, a drizzle… Allah is the One Who sees best what you do.

266Would one of you wish to have a garden of date palms and grapevines underneath of which rivers flow in which he has all kinds of produces, but he is afflicted with old age and has a weak lineage? Then a whirlwind containing fire hits it and that garden burns. Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat so you may give thought.

267O you who have believed! Spend from the pure of what you have earned and what We have brought out for you from the earth for the cause of Allah. Do not attempt to give impure things which you would not take except with closed eyes. And indeed, know that Allah is the One Who is free of need, praised/praiseworthy.

268Satan intimidates you with poverty and commands you immorality. Allah, on the other hand, promises forgiveness and abundant bounty. And Allah is the All Encompassing, the Most Merciful, the One Who knows best.

269Allah gives laws, rules and principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos to whom He wills. And whoever is given the laws, rules and principles that are set forth to prevent injustice, corruption and chaos, he has really been given much good. None will contemplate except for those who are able to reason.

270And whatever you have spent as consumable or made as commitment, Allah definitely knows it. And there is no helper for those who treat their selves unjustly.

271And if you give sadaqa openly, then it is good; but if you conceal them, give them to the poor, then, this is better for you and it will make some of your sins to be removed. And Allah is aware of that which you do.

272To guide them to the righteous path is not a liability upon you, but only Allah guides whom He wills to the righteous path. And that which you spend from good for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for your relatives and then others is only for yourself. And you spend only to seek countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good, it will be paid to you fully. And you will not be treated unjustly.

273Let your spending for the cause of Allah be for the poor who are not able to travel through the earth, who devote themselves to the cause of Allah. Because of their modesty, those who do not know think that they are wealthy. –You know them by their signs.- They do not demand from the people with importunity. And whatever you spend of good, know that Allah is indeed the One Who knows it very well.

274And those who always spend their wealth secretly and openly for the cause of Allah; they have their reward with their Rabb. And there will be no fear for them nor will they grieve.

When the qualifications of the owners of taqwa (those who enter under the guardianship of Allah) are listed in the Qur’an, those who perform infaq, which means “those who spent on the path of Allah / those who provide the subsistence money of people, primarily the acquaintances ” are listed in the third place after those believing in the unseen, and those who establish Salah [Support financially and spiritually; establish and maintain institutions that enlighten the community].

Surah Al-Baqara 2–4:

2-4This book; about which there is no doubt is a guidance for those who believe in the unseen, the unheard, the unknown places, who establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community], who spend from what We have provided for them for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance first for their relatives and then others, who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you, who has entered under the guardianship of Allah –and they definitely believe in Akhirat [Afterlife]-.

Surah Ali-Imran 133-135:

133-135And hasten to forgiveness from your Rabb and Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] that is as wide as the heavens/universe and the earth, which is prepared for those who spend for the cause of Allah in prosperity and hardship, restrain their anger, pardon the people, remember Allah and ask forgiveness right away because of their sins when they treat themselves unjustly or commit an immorality, -and who is it who forgives sins other than Allah?-, do not persist intentionally in that evil which they do, have entered under the guardianship of Allah. And Allah likes those who do good deeds.

Infaq/aid was considered an indicator of belief and it was underlined again and again that hypocrites avoid infaq/aid.

Surah Al-Munafiqun 9–11:

9O you who have believed! Do not let your wealth and children divert you from remembering Allah. Whoever does that; it is those who suffer, lose.

10And before death comes to one of you and he says: “My Rabb! Delay me until a close end of the term so I may give sadaqa/public revenue and be among the righteous”, spend from what We have provided for you for the cause of Allah.

11Allah will never delay one who has come to the end of his term. And Allah is aware of what you do.

Surah At-Tawbah 67:

67The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women are from each other; they command the evil, avert from the good and they withhold their hands/are stingy. They abandon Allah so Allah abandons them. Truly, the hypocrites are the ones who have gone astray from the righteous path.

Providing nafaqa starts with the family

The most virtuous and best type of infaq/aid is the expenditures of a person for his/her needy relatives (mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, children and grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles..etc). The nafaqa required for a person himself/herself when he/she can afford has the precedence over the aids for others and spending on the way of Allah because continuity by a person of his/her life and fulfillment of his/her infaq duty toward others depends on this.

Surah An-Nisa 34:

34Because Allah has given more to some of you than others and men provide compensation from their wealth, men take care of risky matters of women; they are gentlemen to women. Therefore, righteous women are to obey Allah; are the ones who follow the rules that Allah has set forth, they are guarding against the calamities that have not yet happened to them but may happen because of that which Allah protects. Advice the women to whom you fear of risk of harassment and rape because of their stubbornness and make them travel where they live in peace; within the borders of your lands and impose upon them psychological pressure, warnings. Should they treat you with respect, do not seek other ways against them. Allah is the most sublime, the grand.

Surah An-Nisa 36–38:

36-38And worship Allah and do not associate others with Him. And do good to your parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, neighbors who are relatives, neighbors who are from farther away, companion at your side, stranded travelers, those who have been given under your protection in accordance with the laws. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are arrogant and who brag about themselves; those who are stingy, instruct others stinginess and conceal that which Allah has given to them from His bounty and those who spend their wealth so it may be seen by the people while they do not believe in Allah and Akhirat [Afterlife]. And We have prepared for the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb a humiliating punishment. And to whomever satan is a contemporary/close companion; how an evil companion he is!

Surah Ar-Rum 37, 38:

37Have they not seen that Allah extends provision for whomever He wills and manages it? Indeed, there are evidences/signs in this for a people who will believe.

38Then give the poor who were driven out from their lands, the needy and the travelers their right. This is better for those who desire the countenance of Allah. And they are the ones who maintain their status, succeed.

Surah Al-Baqara 215:

215They ask you what they should spend for the cause of Allah/what they should give for sustenance. Say: “That/sustenance which you give from good/from your wealth; time, knowledge are for your parents, closest people, orphans, the needy and travelers”. And whatever you do of good, indeed Allah is the One Who knows it best

Surah Al-Baqara 270:

270And whatever you have spent as consumable or made as commitment, Allah definitely knows it. And there is no helper for those who treat their selves unjustly.

Surah Al-Baqara 219, 220:

219,220They ask you about that which confuses, intoxicates the mind/causes intoxication of the mind and the games of chance. Say: “In them is great sin yet some benefits for the people. But in the world and in Akhirat [Afterlife], their sin is greater than their benefits”. And they ask you what they should spend for the cause of Allah. Say: “Spend the excess”. Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat for you so you may give thought. They ask you about the orphans as well. Say: “For them ‘improvement’ is the best. If you mix with them, then they are your brothers. Allah knows the corrupter from the amender. If Allah had willed, He would have put you in difficulty. Surely, Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

Surah Saba/39:

39Say: “Surely, my Rabb extends His provision for whomever He wills of His servants and manages for him. And whatever you spend for the cause of Allah/provide sustenance, He will immediately compensate it. And He is the best of providers”.